


Ravnicademy

by Bace_Jeleren



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Murder, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-06-10 16:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 53
Words: 307,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6965077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bace_Jeleren/pseuds/Bace_Jeleren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new transfer student to Ravnica Academy, Jace Beleren was hardly expecting much. But as a plot that could put all of Ravnica in danger begins to rise from the depths, Jace finds himself at the very center of it all. Tangled up in secrets that are thousands of years in the making and his own, personal issues, he will come to find that transferring to a new school was the least of his problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Wagon

The high vaulted ceiling of the main entrance of Ravnica Academy made the campus seem even bigger than it already was. Walking along the marble floor embellished with the school's emblem, Jace Beleren couldn't help but look up in awe... even though he'd been through this particular room several times. The map of the building must have been drawn up by some sort of sadist, seeing as it kept on leading him everywhere but where he needed to go. It didn't help that he had yet to see a single soul who could make sense of the layout of the building for him, seeing as the school year had yet to begin and even students who had chosen to remain in the school's dorms that summer probably didn't spend their time just wandering around the school building.

"This place is set up like a damn maze." Jace muttered to himself as he looked at the map again. He figured he'd simply be in and out- seeing as he only needed to make one stop- but he'd somehow managed to waste nearly an hour getting lost and retracing his steps back to the main entrance. And with no one around who would know their way around, the only thing he could do was keep aimlessly wandering around until he happened upon where he needed to go. That or just give up and retire to his dorm and start unpacking. Just about done with feeling like he was getting mocked by the layout of a building, he resolved to do just that and began to turn to leave.

"Hey! You!" A voice rang out, echoing loudly around the large entryway at a volume that was just at the right pitch to hurt Jace's ears. Still, it was another person, and someone who might be able to help him, so he stopped and looked in the direction the almost-scream had come.

It was a girl, maybe a year or two younger than him, wearing loose, baggy clothes that were better suited on a boy. She had wavy red hair that fell just below her shoulders and a spattering of freckles across her continence that made her seem even younger. She had a pair of goggles strapped to her forehead, only adding to just how odd she looked (maybe she was in a club or something that required her to cover her eyes- but still, these looked like they were more for show). On top of all that, she seemed enthused to see him- maybe a little too enthused. The wide smile she had on as she stomped over to him seemed incredibly insincere

"You must be new!" She chuckled, looking him up and down, chin cradled between her thumb and forefinger in a thoughtful manner.

"What makes you say that?" Jace asked in a tone that bordered on the sarcastic side.

"Well, for one, you're using a map." The girl pointed out, snatching the paper from his hands. "They made this before the school was even finished, and they've added a lot of additions since then. Damn school hasn't taken the time to make up new maps since. This thing will only succeed in getting you lost."

"So I've noticed." Jace muttered, wishing he'd known that bit of information when he talked with the dean while officially enrolling.

"That and I haven't seen you around before. Something tells me I'd remember your face if I saw it once before." She sidled up to him and grinned, nudging him a few times in the ribs, like what Jace assumed was her flirting was also some sort of joke.

"Oh really?" He rolled his eyes, an action the girl may or may not have seen as she crumpled up the useless map and tossed it over her shoulder.

"So where was it you were looking to go, new guy?" She asked. "I know my way around this place well enough."

"The infirmary." Jace explained, glad at least that he was finally able to get some actual direction. "I just need to make sure a prescription of mine was delivered there." He paused, noticing the inquisitive look on the girls face. "Special pain medication. I get awful headaches."

"Oh, yeah, I know where that is. I've been there a few times to treat burns." The girl grinned, starting to walk in the direction of the one of the many halls that branched out from the entrance hall.

"Um-" Jace began.

"I'll take you there! I've got nothing else better to do, and you could use the company." She said with a smile, pausing mid-step and waiting for him to follow. Jace sighed through his nose. He really had no other choice but to follow her. He wasn't so much of a recluse that he'd turn down getting help if it meant having to interact with a complete stranger. She seemed harmless enough anyway. So, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, he followed after her, several steps behind her energetic jaunt.

"Hey, if you're new here, you've probably never heard of the guilds." She piped up shortly after their journey began. She spun around so that she was facing him while continuing to walk backwards, flame-red hair flying haphazardly about her as she turned.

"Guilds?" Jace humored her.

"Well, they're more like clubs, but they run this school more than the teachers and staff do." She explained. "Everyone pretty much stays out of their way and does as they say. If someone from a guild approaches you, it's best you probably listen to them, or else they'll make your time here a living hell."

"Are you in any of these clubs- er, guilds?" Jace asked, to which the girl snorted.

"No way, too much work! That and they have to follow some pretty strict rules, and I'm not a very big fan of sticking to those." She smirked, although Jace met her mischievous expression with one of blank disinterest. "I mean, I'm sure the perks are great- getting to lord over students and all- but it all sounds like way too much responsibility."

"How many of these guilds are there, exactly?"

"Ten, officially, though the stage is always set for people to try and register to make a new guild. The guidelines set up for registering a guild are long and strict as all hell, so unless you don't like having time on your hands, I wouldn't recommend it. No one's bothered to try and register a new guild for a really long-ass time anyway." She paused, holding up both hands and putting down each finger as she listed the guilds off.

"First, you have your head honchos- they pretty much make up what could be described as the student council: Azorius, Boros and Orzhov. You hardly see anyone from Orzhov wandering around school, though, and if you ever meet up with someone from Boros you'd better get ready for a beating; they tend to go about disciplining students by force." She began to explain.

"Are all their names that ridiculous?" Jace asked mockingly, but she either didn't hear him, or was ignoring him.

"The you have the brainiacs: Simic and Izzet. If you ever get to meet Izzet's guild leader, _ho_ man... you'll find out soon enough, I'm sure. He's _quite_ the character.

"The rest are special interest groups: Golgari, Gruul, Rakdos and Selesnya. And I think..."

"That's only nine." Jace pointed out. The girl paused thoughtfully, tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in a manner that seemed completely over-acted.

"Oh, right! I completely forgot about Dimir! But no one really knows what the hell they do, or if the guild is even around any more. Once you manage to form a guild, no one really ever goes snooping to see if you're still active." She shrugged, finally returning to facing forward.

"So they're essentially clubs?"

"On paper. They all have their 'official forms of function' but that's really all just stuff floating on the surface. None of them are really good news, which is another reason why I try to stay away. If you want a calm, normal school life, I wouldn't bother with any of them." She paused to snort and expel a single, boisterous laugh into the air. "Of course, Ravnica Academy isn't exactly all that calm or normal to begin with."

"Yeah, not much you can say about a school full of freaks." Jace chimed in.

"Hey, you're one of us now, so that means you're just as much a freak as the rest of us." The girl spoke defensively. "Not to say we aren't freaks. When you gather up all magic folk and people attune to mana and throw them in a school, you're kind of setting yourself up for housing a freakshow."

The girl stopped in her tracks and tuned back around to face him, holding out her hand to the side and motioning towards a door beside her.

"Well, here it is. It's a pretty easy room to find- I'm honestly surprised you couldn't find it on your own." She chuckled.

"Thanks." Was all Jace could manage, his voice a low mutter.

"Hey, no problem..." The girl paused. "Well, shoot, I never got your name! Hell, I never even gave you my name, and here I am, talking your ear off about guilds." She laughed heartily and Jace continued to not fully understand what was so funny... mostly because nothing was actually funny at all. "My name's-"

"Chandra Nalaar." Jace cut in, voice sounding like he was reading lines off a script. "A pyromancer and second generation to enter the academy after your brother, who you might adore just a little too much, if you don't mind me saying. You have a temper fit for several people and your teachers have been known to describe you as 'talented, but has a difficult time following instructions'. You also have a pimple on your forehead that you're trying to hide with your goggles."

The girl, Chandra, instinctively threw her hands over her goggles that were, in fact, hiding a pimple that had sprung up the night before. Her expression was a cross between embarrassment, surprise and untamed, wild anger.

"H-How did you-!?" She part asked/ part shrieked, her cheeks now a bright shade of red.

"Mind mage, which is kind of exactly what it sounds like." Jace was quick to explain. "My name's Jace Beleren, which you would be able to figure out by reading the ID I have in my wallet, which, by the way..." He held out his hand and gave her an impatient look, cocking an eyebrow. "...I would really like back."

"Wh... Wha-!?"

"Thanks for helping me find the infirmary, but you only really approached me so you could pick-pocket me. I learned about that before I even figured out about your name." Jace continued to elaborate.

"H-How _dare_ you!" Chandra shouted, hands still covering her head, like her hands would block Jace from continuing to delve into her mind.

"Don't you think I'm the one who should be the one who's upset here? I mean, I was _robbed_ , after all."

"Screw you!" Chandra snapped, removing his wallet from where she'd been hiding it on her person and chucking it at him, hitting him square in the chest hard enough that it actually managed to hurt him. Immediately after assaulting him with his own belongings, she turned her tail and ran down the hall, looking over her shoulder to shout "JERK!" as loud as she could as she ran.

"Gods and demons, if that's what the welcome wagon is like..." Jace thought aloud to himself as he bent down to pick up his wallet. It only occurred to him then, once Chandra had run completely out of sight, that he actually didn't quite know where the dormitories were. He shrugged and went to open the door to the infirmary. Someone would probably know where they were, and if they knew, then so did he.


	2. Who Are You?

The first thing Jace noticed as he walked into the infirmary was that he wasn't alone. The second was that the one other person in the room with him probably wasn't the school nurse and the third and final thought was nothing but shocked awe that forced him to stand in the doorway with his mouth partially agape. On one of the few beds that were situated around the room that had the odd aroma of both rubbing alcohol and the faint smell of tea, there was a girl about his age, lifting her head off the pillow and slowly sitting up, yawning and stretching and acting like he wasn't standing there with the door wide open.

Despite it being the tail end of summer, her skin was pale, as if she'd spent every waking moment of the long break indoors. Her long, black hair fell all around her, slightly messy, but hardly falling in her face. She had a petite frame, and from what Jace could see that wasn't still covered by the white blanket that had now collected around her waist, she was built like a model. Logical thoughts aside, Jace wondered to himself if she were even real.

It also didn't help she was wearing nothing but a black tank top that shoddily covered her midriff as well as her chest and- as the sheet slipped free of her hips as she stretched- plain, black underwear. It seemed the rest of her clothes were sitting in a messy pile in a chair nearest the bed.

Jace wondered again if what he was seeing was real and not just some twisted illusion.

"Was that you?" The girl asked, rubbing her eyes and finally turning in his direction. The concept of talking suddenly became an anomaly to Jace, and all he could do was stare back at her like a deer caught in the headlights. The girl raised an eyebrow impatiently. "Um... hello?"

"What!? What was me?" Jace gasped, finally finding the thought processes to form simple words. The girl sighed, brushing hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Her fingers were long and slim and each fingernail was painted with now-aged, cracking nail polish.

"The screaming? That was awfully inconsiderately loud." She explained. "Some people were trying to sleep, you know?"

"Wh-What? No, that wasn't me!" Jace immediately began to retort, raising his hands defensively. "That was... I would never-" The sound of a snort followed by almost mocking laughter cut him off.

"Geeze, don't get so flustered, you'll make me feel bad!" The girl laughed, holding a hand up to her lips as she did so. "I recognize that Chandra's screaming anywhere, so you can calm down now. I know it wasn't you who woke me up."

"O-Oh..." Jace stammered as the girl began to go about getting dressed like he wasn't even there, sliding out of bed and bending every which way to gather her clothes while she muttered to herself what time it was. The chaste, polite part of Jace knew it would be best to just look away and not oogle the girl he had just met while she dressed herself but... gods _damn_. There would be plenty of time to feel bad about staring later.

"So... why are you here?" The girl asked, finally acknowledging him again as she sat back down on the bed and pulled up her torn, black leggings.

"What?" Jace asked, his words a half mumble like he, too, had just been roused from sleep. He cleared his throat upon noticing and shook his head, eyes finally darting elsewhere despite the tempting view. "I mean..."

"You don't look all that sick." The girl noted, standing back up and grabbing a pair of dark-purple shorts and stepping into them. "I mean look at all that color in your cheeks- the very picture of health." Jace looked back to her, catching the knowing grin on her face. She'd been very much aware he'd taken in a healthy helping of her dressing, which only made the blush she'd been right about on his cheeks grow even more vivid. He turned his gaze away again, embarrassment and shame starting to consume him as he wished with all his might he could either rewind time or disappear.

"Just... here to see the prescription... see if they'd gotten my nurse- I mean-!" Jace shook his head again, to which the girl heartily laughed.

"Are you always this smooth, or am I just special?" She chuckled, slipping on the last bits and bobs that were sitting beside the bed- bangle bracelets that delicately jingled and jangled together, two pairs of earrings that were too small for Jace to make out what they were and a necklace that was so large it drooped below the impressively low neckline of her tank top.

"Not always- I mean- crap!" Jace muttered, the even more laughter he got in response not making things any better.

"How nice that you're getting a kick out of this." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "At least one of us is."

"Sorry, sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away." She smiled, getting out the last of the giggles before loudly clearing her throat. "If you're looking for Emmara, she's off on an errand. She should be back soon if you want to stay and chat. I won't bite, I promise."

"Emmara?" Jace questioned quietly before shaking his head. "N-No, it's alright. I'll just come back later. I'm really sorry for bothering you."

Unfortunately for Jace, the moment he began to flee was the moment someone else came walking through the door. A gasp from him and a cry of surprise from them was all either of the two could manage before they ran headlong into each other, knocking the other to the ground. The sound of them falling ungracefully to the ground was joined by the chaotic rustling of papers scattering and falling through the air and yet even more of the black-haired girl's laughter that was unsuccessfully muffled by her hands.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Jace began to profusely apologize. "I should have been looking where I was going!" He blinked, eyes adjusting and coming to find a girl who looked the age of yet another student slowly attempting to rise. She had soft-looking golden hair loosely tied back to reveal pointed ears. She wore business-casual clothing- a white blouse with a golden flower broach pinned to her chest and a beige skirt that hugged her figure and stopped just above her knees and brown tights. On top of all that she wore a white lab coat that draped over her slim, boyish figure like it was meant for someone several sizes larger than she- like a blanket.

"N-No, it's quite alright." She waved her hand dismissively, refusing the hand he held out to her as she rose to her knees. "I saw you standing in the doorway, I should have tried to get your attention." She began to pick up the papers that had escaped her grasp and had fallen all around them, Jace following suit.

"Sure hope those papers weren't in any particular order, huh, Emmara?" The girl laughed, sounding like she was still right beside the bed and not heading over to help the two of them at all.

"Liliana, please..." The other girl sighed, sounding more exhausted than she had been merely seconds ago. She turned to Jace, looking incredibly apologetic. "I'm sorry for anything she does in advance- she's a bit of a handful."

"Hey!"

"It's alright, she didn't do anything." Jace assured her. He added a quick, "aside from dress in front of me like it was nothing" in his thoughts.

"I highly doubt that." The golden-haired girl sighed as she picked up the last of the papers and slowly rose to her feet. Jace did the same, now realizing he stood several heads above the girl who he was starting to realize spoke like someone a lot older than how she appeared. "Liliana especially likes messing with cute boys."

"Gods, stop talking about me like I'm not here!" The other girl groaned, finally walking over to the two of them and stopping beside Jace, holding out her hand. "Well, like she said, I'm Liliana. Liliana Vess."

"I'm Bace Jeleren- I mean Ja-" Jace fumbled with his words shortly after fumbling with the papers he had cradled in his arms that had begun to slip from his grasp as he moved to shake her hand. Liliana suppressed a snort.

"Bace Jeleren, huh?" She asked, clearly holding back laughter judging by her tone and how her face was contorting as a struggle over whether or not she should continue to laugh at his misfortune went on inside her head.

"Jace Beleren!" Jace shouted accidentally, noticing how sharp he'd sounded and repeating himself. "I-I'm Jace Beleren."

"Don't you have better things to do than to sleep away a perfectly good day in here?" The other girl asked.

"Oh, right, I forgot I had that thing with all those people that hate me!" Liliana gasped in mock surprise, sarcasm dripping from every syllable of every word. "I'd better get going, or I'm going to be late."

"Liliana..."

"I'll see you later Bace- I mean Jace." She spoke in parting, patting him a little too hard on the shoulder and brushing her own shoulder rudely against the other girl as she made her exit. Jace watched her go, restraining himself from craning his neck so that he continue to follow her with his eyes.

"You'll have to forgive Liliana, she's never really been one for tact." The girl sighed as Jace bent down to collect the papers he had dropped. "I'm Miss Tandris, but I'd rather you just call me Emmara- Miss Tandris makes me feel old. I'm the school nurse."

"W-What?" Jace asked as he raised his head in surprise. "The nurse? I thought you were a student!"

"Well, aren't you one for flattery?" Emmara laughed. "Though, I do suppose that being elven does have it's privileges."

"R-Right." Jace nodded. He really should have assumed right away, given her appearance. "I'm-"

"Jace Beleren- I know. I was there when you introduced yourself the first time." She finished for him, gently taking the papers from his hands and walking inside. "If you're here about your prescription, it was dropped off just yesterday. We'll be able to make any necessary refills once what we've been given runs out."

"Oh, thanks." Jace nodded. "That's really all I came here to check, so-"

"Why don't you stay for a bit? I'm about to make some tea and I'd much rather enjoy it with company." Emmara cut in, setting her papers on the counter and reaching into one of the cupboards and pulling out a tea kettle and a few cups that had clearly seen several uses. "I normally have afternoon tea with Liliana, but it seems we scared her off."

" _We_ scared _her_ off?" Jace asked, looking over his shoulder as if she were still there, laughing at him. Emmara giggled behind closed lips as she continued to grab things from drawers and shelves (it seemed she had quite a collection of items for making tea stored in the same places medical items were).

"You know, I'd really love to stay, Miss- I mean, Emmara, but I really should get back to my dorm room and unpack."

"Boxes and bags can wait, they won't be going anywhere." Emmara spoke in a scolding tone as she chose from an impressive collection of boxes of different kinds of tea (oddly enough mixed in with bottles of pills and boxes of bandages). "You humans are always in a rush to do things- once in a while you should try slowing down for a change. You may live shorter lives, but that doesn't mean you have to spend every lat minute running around frantically like a bunch of headless chickens. Now come in, sit down, and I'll make us some tea."

"Yes ma'am." Jace was quick to nod and head inside the room, taking a seat on one of the beds while Emmara filled the tea kettle with water from the sink.

"There's a good boy." She smiled. "And if you have any questions about Liliana, I'll be more than happy to answer them."

"E-Excuse me?" Jace stammered.

"Goodness, boy, I wasn't born yesterday. I know attraction when I see it." Emmara turned to him with a knowing grin. "Don't be so modest about it- Liliana's quite the looker, so you're not the first person to fall under her spell. It's best you just come out and admit it now before those feelings drive you crazy. And I won't tell a soul, I promise. Think of it as doctor-patient confidentiality." She winked at him before pulling out a small, portable electric stove from a cabinet below the sink.

"..." Jace was quiet at first, playing with possible questions in his mind first before asking them. "How exactly do you know Liliana? I mean... you both sounded really familiar."

"Oh, me and her go way back." Emmara chuckled, finishing setting things up. "I've known her for quite some time."

"So she's gone to this school for a while?"

"Hmm... not exactly." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose there are a few things I shouldn't be at liberty to say. The whole story behind mine and Liliana's friendship is really more for Liliana herself to tell. I can only say we've known one another for longer than people would think."

"Well, can you at least tell me more about her?"

"Now that I can do." Emmara nodded. "She's a bit of a lone-wolf, unfortunately- doesn't play that nice with others. A lot of the things she does are to get what she wants or get a rise out of people. But I've seen what she's like when she finally finds people worth her time: stills acts about the same, but she'll trust you a little more and might actually help you out from time to time- that is, if you get on her good side, of course."

"How do I do that?" Jace asked, unknowingly shifting to the edge of the bed. Emmara chuckled, her shoulders shaking in time with her laughter.

"Ah, there's the real question." She chortled. "She can act as tough as she wants, but in the end Liliana is just like any other girl. You just have to show her a little kindness and heart, just a little more than usual, that's all. She's built up some pretty high walls, but they aren't impossible to climb." She paused as the teakettle began to whistle, her attention occupied now by preparing the tea. "It also helps that you can just peer into her thoughts and see what it is she prefers."

"No!" Jace spoke sternly, causing even Emmara to jump, nearly dropping the teacup she was about to bring over to him. "Sorry I just... I'd rather not. I use my powers all the time, sure, but... using them for that purpose just seems really wrong. If I want to win her affections, I want to do it legitimately."

"Then you're a better man than I figured. If it means anything you have my blessing." Emmara smiled, handing him the cup. "A lot of young men come snooping around about Liliana, but they're usually nothing but trouble."

"Ha, you're pretty protective of her." Jace commented, carefully taking the cup. He could feel the searing warmth of the tea through the china.

"Someone's gotta be. Liliana refuses all help, but she can't do everything. So I do what I can to try and lighten the load when she isn't looking." Emmara sighed. "She's got enough on her plate already as it is."

"I'm guessing that's another thing you'd rather Liliana herself tell me?" Jace questioned. Emmara merely nodded, looking down at her own cup.

"I can only say that she's... reckless for a reason. And the things she does around here are only so she get help for her own problems." Emmara explained, seeming legitimately troubled. "Liliana would never do something just to hurt people- I can't stress that enough. She's done a lot of cruel things I'm sure you'll hear about soon enough, but she'd never do anything just for the sake of being cruel."

"I'll try to keep an open mind." Jace assured her. "But I doubt you'd have a reason to lie about something like that."

"You're a good boy, mister Beleren." Emmara said with a relieved smile. Her words were like a sigh of relief. "I just hope Liliana can see that. She needs someone like you- though she'll never admit it."

"R-Really?" Jace questioned, feeling a swell of pride he couldn't bring himself to suppress.

"Heh, look at that smile." Emmara laughed teasingly. Jace attempted to wipe away the grin he had just then noticed had spread across his features, and all the while she chuckled. "But yes, I do mean what I said. I just hope you're in it for the long haul and not just after a pretty face. Liliana is no prize to be won, you hear me?"

"I hear you, I hear you." Jace nodded. "I just need to figure out what I need to do for her to actually take me seriously. You saw what happened back there, I was nothing but a joke."

"You're a smart boy, I'm sure you'll come up with something." Emmara assured him after taking a sip of her tea. "You're off to a good start, though. It's been a long time since Liliana laughed like that in a great while. Maybe you just need to keep on acting goofy."

"You know, I'd really rather not..."

The conversation continued like that for only a short while longer before it diverged almost completely from Liliana at all. Before Jace knew it, he was speaking with Emmara as if they two of them had been friends for years. And all the while Jace tried to convince himself he was legitimately getting along with her, and not trying to befriend her simply because she knew Liliana so well.

"Oh, goodness, is that the time!" Emmara suddenly exclaimed mid-sentence as she looked up at the clock. "Time really does fly when you're enjoying yourself."

"Oh, geeze, sorry for taking up so much of your time." Jace apologized.

"Nonsense, you didn't take up anything." She shook her head, placing both of their tea cups in the sink. "But I do suppose I'd better not hold you here for too long. I have a staff meeting I need to attend, so I guess I'll have to send you on your way. But thank you very much for keeping me company- it's been a long while since I've gotten so caught up in conversation like that."

"What about with Liliana?" He questioned. "Doesn't she usually have tea with you."

"Yes, but that girl isn't as talkative as she used to be. Most of the time she just comes here to sleep." Emmara sighed before shaking her head. "But enough about that, I suppose it's time you attended to unpacking. Come back whenever you feel like chatting."

"Or, you know, when I get a really bad migraine." Jace added with a grin.

"Oh, right, that, too!" Emmara nodded as she walked him to the door.

"One more thing, though." Jace added just before he began to leave. "What exactly happened to Liliana. The way you talk makes it sound like something bad happened recently with her."

"Oh, that." Emmara sighed heavily. "Well, like I said, you'll hear about all that soon enough."


	3. Don't Bring it Up

At first it was nothing but a low rumble, but by the time Jace arrived to the dormitories near the edge of the campus the noise he'd heard that had reached all the way to the school building had only gotten louder. Turned out it was music- impossibly, incredibly loud music. He could feel the thumping of the base in his bones long before he even entered the building, and once he'd entered it felt as if the entire building was shaking.

Stranger still was that no one seemed at all worried or confused. If anything, they seemed only slightly annoyed, moving about the lobby and through the narrow corridors rolling their eyes and muttering to one another (Jace wondered how in the world they could even hear each other when he couldn't even hear his own thoughts clearly).

"Where in the world is that coming from?" He asked himself just before his question was answered. He found himself facing his room, and he looked back at the paper he'd written the room number down on several times. This was his room, alright: the room where the loud, invasive music was drifting from. Several people plugging their ears looked him over judgingly, as if he were the cause for the deafening din. He looked back down the hall, looked at the paper several more times, tried to convince himself that maybe he should just go- in the end, he shrugged in defeat and slowly, grudgingly push his way through the door. The music was so loud, it almost seemed as if it had manifested in a physical force, pressing on the door and causing it to be difficult to open.

The first thing that greeted his vision was the sight of several gigantic speakers that would be more at home in a large concert hall than a small little dorm room. The next was a person with their back facing him, standing not even an arms length from the speakers, hands proudly on his hips. From behind, at least, Jace could make out he was incredibly muscular and hair that he allowed to grow wild. That being said the music was so offensively loud, it was effecting Jace's vision.

"Hey!" He shouted into the room, still standing on on the threshold for fear that his eardrums would burst if he stepped foot in the room. But whoever he was talking to, the proud owner of the loudest speakers in existence, was facing away from him and into the shriek of guitars and the bellow of whoever of whatever was singing. It was going to take a lot more than a "hey" to get his attention. So, throwing his hands protectively over his ears, Jace slowly made his way into the room. He noticed as he entered that his boxes had been shoved haphazardly both into the closet and under one of the beds, possibly to make room for the speakers.

"Hey! HEY!" Jace yelled at the top of his lungs, daring to remove one of his hands from over his ears to give the stranger a quick slap on the shoulder. The muscled music appreciator turned around, beaming from ear to ear either over the fact Jace was there or that the music he was playing could probably be heard from space.

"AREN'T THESE SPEAKERS AWESOME!?" He roared, though Jace could hardly hear him at all. He was, however, able to lip read the fact he had said "speakers" and for some reason didn't seem to understand why Jace was pressing his hands as hard as he could against his head.

"YOUR MUSIC IS REALLY LOUD!" Jace began, not even able to hear himself speak.

"I KNOW!" Somehow, the muscle-bound man was able to hear Jace. "IT TOOK ME ALL LAST YEAR TO SAVE UP FOR THESE BABIES!" Unfortunately for Jace, his ears were far from being as keen. "I know" was as far as he managed to get.

"YOUR MUSIC! IS TOO! LOUD!" Jace shouted again, using every last bit of air in his lungs to convey his message.

"NAH, MAN, IT CAN GET LOUDER!" He yelled back, his grin growing wider. Able to make out at least that, Jace began to mouth "no" over and over again while he began to look over the control panel to the speakers, most likely looking for the volume.

"PLEASE, GODS, NO, IT'S LOUD ENOUGH! JUST TURN IT DOWN BEFORE MY EARDRUMS-" Jace stopped, realizing the horrific rumble of the music had been replaced by only the painful ringing in his ears. It seemed the man had been looking for the power button and not the volume to further test the ear-shattering capabilities of the speakers. "Oh!"

"Sorry about that. I finally moved these puppies in here and I just couldn't help but break them in." The man apologized, his voice booming and low- like how some sort of super hero would talk. "How was it? Aren't they powerful? I had to fight my way into being allowed to even bring them here- they said the noise would be much too distracting."

"I don't think distracting is the right word..." Jace muttered, which got him rumbling laughter in response, followed by a firm pat on the back that actually hurt and left behind a lingering sting. It was a friendly gesture, but one from someone who didn't realize their body was made up of nothing but muscle.

"I'm guessing you're my roommate, eh?" He asked. "Sorry about your boxes, I needed to move this haus out of the hall before people complained." He patted the gigantic noise-making machine gentler than he patted Jace on the back. Somehow it seemed incredibly unfair to Jace, who was sure he was now sporting a bruise.

"It's alright, they're mostly full of clothes and books." Jace shrugged, holding out his hand for his new acquaintance to shake in greeting. "My name's Jace Bele-!" Before he had a chance to finish, his new roommate grabbed him by the hand that made Jace fear his bones would shatter, and gave it a nice, firm shake that felt like he was trying to jerk his arm right out of his socket. Again, there was really no malice behind it all, he legitimately had no idea he was hurting him judging by the smile on his bearded face. "...Beleren." He finished in a pained rasp.

"Name's Gideon Jura!" His roommate grinned, not noticing or not caring about Jace's discomfort. Maybe he was just used to people acting this way around him, and presumed it to be normal. "You like football?"

Before Jace could answer, someone slammed open the door that had eased itself shut, an audible crack coming from either the wall or the wood of the door as the two of them collided. Both Jace and Gideon turned to find someone standing in the doorway, lowing their foot they'd used to kick the door open. It was someone the both of them recognized, though their reaction to the presence of the newcomer were polar opposites.

"I was wondering when you were going to come by, Chandra." Gideon smiled, not caring in the slightest that she'd potentially damaged something by bursting in the way she'd done and that she looked incredibly annoyed.

"I called you like fifty times, you giant caveman." Chandra grumbled. "I thought at first you were just ignoring me, but it just turns out you were attempting to make everyone in his building go deaf."

"What's the point of buying speakers this awesome and not using them to their full potential?" Gideon asked, but it was clear Chandra wasn't going to respond, or even heard him. Her gaze was fixed on Jace now, the familiar look of fury she'd worn last they'd seen one another on her face. Her lips were tugged at the edges in a violent frown as her eyes glowed faintly, like embers.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She growled.

"This is my dorm room, sorry if that's an inconvenience to you." Jace said, not actually sounding sorry at all. "Speaking of inconveniences, how's that break-out treating you? Scrubbing at it that much can't be a good thing."

"Look here, asshole-!" Chandra began, taking several threatening steps into the room before Gideon stepped between them. He wore an expression that looked both concerned and oblivious to the fact that a fight was potentially about to break out between them.

"I take it you two have already met, then?" He asked, looking to Chandra and then to Jace.

"Yes." The both of them spoke in unison- Jace in exhaustion and Chandra in boiling annoyance.

"He invaded my mind!" Chandra followed up with saying.

"What?" Gideon looked to Jace confusedly, half understanding and half having no idea what Chandra even meant by what she had said.

"She stole my wallet." Jace retorted, peering around Gideon to gaze over tauntingly at Chandra. "It was only fair."

"Look, look, I don't care who invaded who's wallet or who stole who's mind or... whatever the hell you two are getting at." Gideon sighed, being exposed to the argument out of context clearly confusing him. He reached out and rested his hands on both their shoulders warmly. "Let's just put the past behind us and go get some pie."

"Pie again, Gideon?" Chandra asked, her words a weary groan. "Don't you ever get tired of pie?"

"How about when I start getting tired of breathing?" Gideon joked, letting the two of them go and heading for the door. "What about you, Jace? You like pie?"

"Um... yes?"

"See? No reason to hate a man who likes his pie." Gideon laughed, ruffling Chandra's hair as he passed her. "So let's settle our differences over a slice."

"You act like all the worlds problems can be solved with pie." Chandra muttered, throwing Jace a warning glower before following after their muscly companion. Jace followed suit, staying a ways away from the still-bitter girl.

"So what strings had to be pulled to get that monstrous sound system into the dorms?" Chandra asked as they made their way down to the lobby. "There's no way they just let you waltz in with ten tons of speakers."

"Do you even need to ask?" Gideon grinned slyly. "After I did all that work for Boros over the summer, they managed to convince a few people for me. After they ran me ragged looking for all those delinquent spellcasters vandalizing the school, I used the reward money they gave me to buy the speakers, and they got them into the school." He nonchalantly folded his arms behind his head, acting like it was no big deal while Chandra grew rigid.

"Y-You're apart of a guild?" Jace asked, picking up his pace so he was walking on the opposite side of Gideon.

"Yeah, he is." Chandra answered for him, the sharpness in her voice finally directed at Gideon instead of him. "You know one of these days they're going to get you into some really deep shit, you know? Especially Boros- they're always toeing the line between what is and isn't proper punishment."

"Chandra, I've told you a million times that when I joined they promised they wouldn't have me do anything dangerous." Gideon sighed as the three of them left the building. The sun was starting to set, setting the campus ablaze in hues of pink and orange. "And they're the guild that would allow me to do the most good for this school. Azorius and Orzhov are way too passive in their disciplinary methods, and I'm not smart enough to join Izzet and Simic. And the rest of them... eh..."

"And I've told you a million times why even join a guild at all? You're on the football team, and on a sports scholarship- one of these days you're going to get really hurt beating up delinquents for Boros and everything you've worked for is going to be in the toilet!" Chandra snapped back.

"I'll be careful, Chandra, you don't have to worry about me." Gideon laughed, as if her concern for his safety was adorable.

"That's the thing, I do, though..." Chandra mumbled, her lips in a frustrated pout as the three of them began to walk into town. The campus was close enough to everything else that there was no point in taking a car.

"What about you, Jace? I'm sure you've heard about guilds by now." Gideon looked to Jace, who jumped, not having expected to be acknowledged at that point once the other two started arguing. "Are you interested? The perks are really great, and you get a little bit of compensation for carrying out jobs. And don't listen to anything Chandra says, she's just doesn't really trust guilds anymore, that's all. Hers was a special case, it doesn't happen all the time."

"What doesn't-?" Jace began to ask before Chandra cut him off, eyeing him with a glare that nearly paralyzed him.

"It's none of your business, newbie." She snarled, her eyes aglow. "You can go ahead and join one of those stupid guilds if you want, but don't come crying to us if it doesn't go your way, or if they make you do something to people who trust you- that goes double for you, Gideon!"

"I know, Chandra. You've warned me ever since... you know." Gideon shrugged, patting her on the head. "When things start getting bad, I promise, I'll find a way out."

"Yeah, you'd better." She mumbled through her pout.

"So... How long have you two been going out?" Jace dared to ask, immediately getting backlash as both Gideon and Chandra looked to him, bug-eyed and open mouthed. Gideon was all stammers and stutters, trying and failing to find words, but Chandra was quick to find her own, and voiced them loudly.

"Me? Date this big lug here? No way in hell!" She exclaimed, her cheeks as red as her eyes had been glowing. "We've grown up alongside one another since we were little kids, if we were to start dating it would be really awkward- like dating a sibling! Right, Gideon?"

"R-Right!" Gideon finally managed, nodding in a jerky fashion as he looked forward with a nervous look in his eyes. Jace didn't have to read any minds to know what was going on and how Gideon felt- though it was no place of his to play wing man seeing as he'd just met him and Chandra would probably shoot down anything instigated by Jace. He certainly felt sorry for Gideon, but in the end it seemed he'd have to crawl his way out of the clutches of the friend zone on his own.

"Well, enough about us, Jace, what about you? I'm pretty sure I've never seen you around here before, so you must be new." Gideon began to pry, urgently changing the subject. "They hardly ever transfer people from one magic-folk school to another, so you must have been attending a norm school, right?"

"Yeah. Up until last year I was going to school with regular humans." Jace explained, his gaze traveling to the ground. Now it was his turn to try and dance around a topic he didn't want to talk about.

"Wow, even I have to admit that's pretty impressive. Not a lot of magic-folk can blend in with normies that long." Chandra said, sounding the slightest bit interested now. "How'd they finally catch you?"

"It's... really a long story. The wounds are still fresh, so I think it's best not to pick at them, you know?" Jace muttered, feeling a small lump begin to develop in his throat. "I'll explain some other time, when it doesn't bother me as much.. You've got your secrets... I've got mine."

"Guess we all have our own little stories we don't feel like dredging up." Gideon sighed. "We've got a lot more in common than we thought, huh?"

"What? Don't lump me together with mister privacy-invader here!" Chandra snarled. "Everyone has a story- doesn't make us any more alike." She turned up her nose and wrinkled it, crossing her arms in defiance.

"Don't mind her, she doesn't hold grudges for long, I promise." Gideon assured Jace. "Chandra's a really big softy once you get to know her!"

"Oi, don't talk about me like I'm not right here, ass!" Chandra exclaimed, striking him across his muscular arm. "Don't go telling him those sorts of things, too- you're giving him ideas!"

The three of them continued into town, Jace trying to learn about Chandra and Gideon and them trying to learn about him, constantly running into road blocks of things they still weren't comfortable talking about. The town nearest the campus was small and tight-knit, mostly made up of people who had attended the academy before and had chosen not to move away. The entire community was made up mostly of magic-folk, so it wasn't uncommon to see all manner of creatures going about their routine aside from humans. Jace couldn't help but look about in amazement as they walked to the diner that Gideon continued to praise for their pies. The place he'd grown up wasn't devoid of magical creatures or mages, but they were few and far between and even if they were around they more often than not kept a low profile and even went as far as to disguise themselves. Just like Jace himself had done. Being in a place where no one seemed to care about that sort of thing was refreshing and almost alien to him.

"I promise, you'll get super addicted to this place!" Gideon assured him as the three of them were shown to a booth at the diner. "I'll even pay for your first slice of pie- but only your first slice. You're on your own after that."

"I'm honestly surprised Gideon isn't fat after all the pie he practically inhales." Chandra teased, opening a menu. Her and Gideon began to talk among themselves, mostly involving Chandra poking him in the stomach, warning him about his weight. Jace, however, stared down at his own menu, occupied by his own thoughts.

"Hey..." Jace spoke up, waiting for both Chandra and Gideon to look up from the dessert section of the menu. "...Do either of you know a Liliana Vess?"

"I honestly wish we didn't." Chandra's words were so angry and cold they sent a chill down Jace's spine. She glared down at the table, sparks in her eyes growing as her body tensed up. Gideon rested a worried hand on her shoulder, but it didn't calm her down one bit. "I wish I never even met her!"

"What... what happened?" Jace asked, unable to hide the shocked look on his face. "Liliana... she isn't that bad a person, is she?"

"She's a two-faced bitch is what she is! I don't know what you heard or how you know her, but I suggest you stay well away from her. I should have..." Chandra bit her lip, her voice wavering a bit as she spoke.

"Chandra..." Gideon uttered before she shrugged away and began to clumsily slide her way out of the booth. "Chandra!"

"I'm not going anywhere, I just need to breath or else I'm going to burn down your favorite diner." Chandra groaned. "You can order for me."

"I-I'm sorry!" Jace apologized as Chandra swiftly walked out, head hung low and hands balled into fists.

"Hey, it's alright, you couldn't have known. You just got here, so you probably haven't heard about what happened... not just between Liliana and Chandra, but most of the campus. I'm trying to stay neutral about it myself, but I gotta say, what she did wasn't the smartest thing." Gideon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he relaxed back into his seat.

"What did Liliana do?" Jace dared to ask.

"Well, we were honestly friends with her up until the middle of last year." Gideon began. "I met her through Boros, and we sort of hit it off pretty well. We all did."

"So she's apart of Boros, too?"

"Not exactly. Liliana's what we call a free agent- she does stuff for all the guilds that they don't want to dirty their hands in. When a guild needs to get something done, but doesn't want to lose face, they reach out to free agents." Gideon paused as a waitress- a young Leonin girl – approached them, bringing a few glasses of water and taking their order (Jace let Gideon order for him, trusting his taste in pie).

"Anyway, it all sort of stemmed from Chandra's brother, who was dabbling in really powerful magics- magics that students shouldn't be practicing. He told us about it all in confidence that he was attempting to learn by a lot of means that were against school rules." Gideon continued, pausing again to nervously stir his own water with a straw. He was clearly holding back the fact he himself was just as frustrated as Chandra. Jace could see it in his eyes, and feel it drifting off the very surface of his mind- like smoke from a fire.

"Chandra's brother, aside from that, was a really respected student- one of the big names on campus and everyone looked up to him, especially Chandra, and he brought a lot of good press to the school. So, when Azorius caught wind about what he was doing, they chose not to do anything about it themselves, lest they incur the wrath of the entire student body. Instead, they turned to Liliana, first asking her if what they believed was true and then for her to do something about it." Gideon grunted, clearly bothered. "She told them everything without even a single bit of resistance, and exposed him. Even though we trusted her- he trusted her.

"He was expelled soon after that, and we haven't seen him since. Chandra contacted her parents about it, but it sounds like he hasn't even returned home. She even wanted to drop out and search for him on her own, but luckily I was able to convince her not to. But nothing would convince her to forgive Liliana for what she did... I even have a hard time doing it myself."

"Why would she... do something like that?" Jace asked, dumbfounded.

"Who knows. Maybe they had some dirt on her, or maybe she was just using us. She never bothered explaining herself when it was all said and done. She hasn't even apologized. All we know is that she did it, and took the fall for Azorius and took the blame for getting Ravnica Academy's best student expelled. She's been catching a lot of shit because of it, and we watched her become an outcast. But she didn't seem to care, or else she would have tried to say sorry. Maybe if she did, we'd be able to patch things up and become friends again. But that's up to Liliana, not us."

Before Gideon could continue, or Jace could continue to pry, the former lifted his head in greeting, wiping away the troubled look on his face as Chandra re-emerged from outside.

"I ordered you a pecan pie." He told her as she sat down. The tips of her hair and edges of her clothes looked a bit singed. She sighed heavily, taking the water set out for her and gulping down almost the entire glass before taking in and chewing on a mouthful of ice cubes. "...You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, of course I am..." Chandra muttered after swallowing the crushed ice cubes. She turned her attention to Jace, giving him a warning glare.

"My advice? Stay away from guilds and stay away from Vess. Both are nothing but trouble." She told him sternly. "Both will screw you over in the end."

"...If you say so." Jace agreed, glad he was the only one who could read minds. He still had every intention of approaching Liliana, remembering what Emmara had told him. Liliana, according to her, would never do anything for the sake of being cruel. He'd have to get to the bottom of things before he passed any judgment.


	4. Is This Seat Taken?

"Gideon... Gideon I know you're awake." Jace sighed, arms crossed impatiently as he looked at the large mass under the sheets of his friend's bed. A groan was all that answered him as the large, stubborn mass sluggishly moved about, but made no move to actually depart from the bed. "You're going to make us late."

"What are you talking about? It's still summer, dammit, let me sleep!" Gideon moaned, voice muffled by his pile of sheets he was still huddled under. Jace rolled his eyes, grabbing at the pile of sheets and trying to yank them off of his friend, but to no avail. He had them in a tight, desperate death-grip that not even Armageddon would loosen.

"Pretending it's not a school day isn't going to make it true..." Jace groaned, stumbling back and looking to his backpack. He'd been ready half an hour ago, and now he had ten minutes to run across campus and find his first class- all for the sake of trying to force Gideon out of his impenetrable blanket fortress. He was half a step away by just taking the reigns of his mind and forcing him to go.

"Gideon, please don't make me give you a countdown- I'm not your mom." He muttered seconds before the door to their room flew open, slamming into the familiar place against the wall. It happened so often now that Jace didn't even jump- just shuddered at the thought of the damage being done to the door and the wall.

"Gods, are you two still here!?"

"No thanks to Gideon." Jace mumbled under his breath as Chandra came barging in. Despite the fact it was a school day she was still dressed like she was deciding whether she wanted to just lie around all day or go back to bed- her hair looking half done and clothes that looked like they belonged to someone a few sizes larger than her and also a man. Today's outfit consisted of a baggy jersey of a team Jace had never heard of, jean shorts that cut off right below her knee and skater shoes that had probably seen better days. That being said, she somehow managed to pull the look off in an oddball sort of way.

"Look, you probably shouldn't be late to your first day at school, so you just take your books and go. I'll drag this lazy bum out of bed." Chandra commanded, shouldering Jace out of the way before she started roughly pushing against Gideon. She'd most likely dislodge the mattress from the frame at that rate, but it would get the job done either way. "You're going to catch a lot of shit if your late."

"Are you sure-"

"I can magically set things of fire, Jace. I'm pretty sure that's good incentive to get him out of bed, so we won't be too far behind." Chandra assured him, seeming rather bothered by the fact he had to be assured at all. "So move your ass before I move it for you!"

"Alright, alright, I'm leaving!" Jace said as he turned, picked up his book bag and headed out the door into the hall- just as he heard Gideon shout in pain from any number of things Chandra could have possibly done that he didn't want to even think about. In a few steps he picked up his pace into a brisk jog, and by the time he was out of the dormitory building he broke out into a straight run. Hardly anyone else was walking to school by now, so at the very least there was no one around to witness him frantically speed towards the school building.

Panting and struggling to make it look like he hadn't run there at full speed, Jace managed to make it there before the bell- long enough for him to catch his breath, fix himself up and find the nearest person who knew the school layout much better than him. With the halls now completely crowded with people wondering and thinking and looking for their own classrooms, it hardly took any time at all for Jace to latch onto a thought and make his way through the halls as if he'd wandered them for years (just like the person of whom he'd used the thought of probably was). It was easy and seamless, and whoever it was probably didn't even pay the feeling of their thoughts being grasped any mind, but that was only the first time. Jace's power wasn't something he used conservatively.

Maybe he'd simply gotten into the habit of just mind-reading his way into getting directions and grades and sometimes even dates. He'd become reliant on it, even if he was sure he could do all of those things on his own (well, maybe not the last one, given his track record of having passable people skills). Without even a second thought, he did it in his first class, his second, his third- he knew reading lists before they were assigned, about quizzes to assess how much they knew before they were passed out, and names before anyone had even introduced themselves. And all those years of doing it, even all these people who could use their own magics and could probably pick up on when someone used their own probably only passed off Jace's mind-snooping as an itch or a breeze.

It took a toll on Jace more than it did any of them, though. The one downside to the habit he couldn't break was the insufferable headaches. The more he allowed his mind to wander to prey on the thoughts and memories of others, the more splitting they would become- but not even they could stop him. Using the thoughts of other people to get by was now a major part of how he functioned, and now, so were dealing with debilitating headaches.

Lunch couldn't have come soon enough. He could have possibly searched for Gideon and Chandra, or for the Lunchroom or quite possibly the infirmary, but his head hurt so much, he could only wildly reach for one thought and hope it took him somewhere where he wouldn't be bothered to read the minds of anyone. Luckily for him, he just so happened to pry the location of the school's library from the mind of a passerby. He could go without eating- the headache had gotten so bad that it took precedence over feeling the slightest bit of hunger anyway.

A large portion of the school building had been devoted to the library, it seemed. The main entry way opened up to as domed, glass ceiling, shedding soft, natural light down onto the ground and books that lined the walls. In fact, there were books everywhere- a lot more old and tattered than new. And one thing was for sure- it was calm, quiet, and hardly anyone was there. Everyone who was were simply devoting themselves to quietly reading or working, and Jace could hardly care about what.

What he did care about was what he saw near the far reaches of the main room, and in an instant, he forgot all about his headache.

There was a gathering of round tables situated to one side of the room, where the light from the sun drifting in from the windows above hardly managed to reach. There were a few groups of students, huddled around their books and silently whispering to one another, but they all had arranged themselves on the very outer tables that made up the cluster. Only one of the tables nearest the center was occupied, and only by one person, her nose buried in her book and a medium-sized black canteen by her side.

"Liliana?" Jace spoke softly, but it was quiet enough in the library that everyone managed to hear. Even though they hadn't been called, everyone was quick to look up from their books and papers and laptops and stare at him- no, _glare_ at him. A simple, regular gaze wouldn't sting this bad or make him feel this uncomfortable and unwelcome. They followed him with every little step, and Jace could feel them there. But, despite that, he forced himself to move toward the one person who hadn't reacted to his speaking: the owner of the name. She simply continued reading, chin rested in an upturned palm as she casually flipped through the pages of her book- like she had no care in the world.

She was dressed a little more conservatively this time, though blacks and deep, dark purples were still a theme that made up her wardrobe. She wore a black tee-shirt with sleeves that covered her arms, but were sheer enough that Jace could see every inch of skin beneath them. The shirt itself was just a bit too small and a small portion of her midriff peeped through- a pale stripe across her otherwise dark clothing.

Jace cleared his throat nervously, but Liliana only responded by turning a page in her book, as if he still had yet to exist.

"L-Liliana?" He repeated, trying his hardest to ignore the feeling of eyes still marring his back. Finally she looked up, her look of indifference shifting into a softer, welcoming one.

"Well, if it isn't Bace Jeleren." She spoke jokingly, her lips curling upwards in a smirk.

"I-It's Jace-"

"I'm just joking with you, I know your name." She rolled her eyes before returning to gazing down at her book. "First day treating you alright."

"Yeah, I'm just taking a break in here." Jace chuckled weakly, trying to ignore everyone else around him. He didn't want to, but out of habit he opened his mind up just enough to listen to their outermost thoughts. None of them were good, and they were all directed at him and Liliana. "...Homework?" He motioned to her reading material. Without even looking up she held it up for him to see: a book of necromancy and other forms of black magic.

"Personal interest." She responded simply. "It's interesting, but I'm not learning anything new."

"Necromancy, huh?" Jace questioned, trying to force pleasantries and not seem at all bothered. Their thoughts were getting worse- louder, angrier. They had no idea who he was, but they certainly weren't fans of him. "Is that... something you practice?"

"Is masochism something of yours?" She responded coldly, closing her book and reaching over to cap her canteen. She stood swiftly, pushing back her chair with a loud screech.

"W-what?"

"You've hardly been here a week, but I really doubt, given the people you associate yourself with, that you haven't heard about me by now." Liliana grumbled, tucking her canteen into her bag that she slung over her shoulder before pressing her book to her person like a security blanket. "I can tell by your face that your forcing yourself, and let me tell you right now that you can just stop. I don't need you to hang around and be nice to me because you think I'm pretty- or whatever. I really don't need anyone, so could you not..." She paused, taking a deep breath and holding it for several, painful seconds.

"Don't sacrifice your social life just so you can try and score." She muttered.

"But I'm not-!" Jace began to defend himself before she rudely pushed passed him, her shoulder knocking against his arm as she bulldozed her way by him and toward the exit. The cruel, angry eyes that had been digging into Jace followed her all the way out before settling back on their books.

Jace groaned in pain, holding his head in his hand.

The headache had returned much worse than before.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Jace, dear, I should have warned you a little more." Emmara signed heavily, easing into the chair next to her desk in the infirmary. She looked down at her teacup guiltily, steam rising up and brushing against her face. "Liliana... isn't the easiest person to get close to, especially now."

"I noticed." Jace responded bitterly, knocking back a second pain pill and washing it down with his own cup of tea. When he'd arrived, stumbling through the door with a headache that was practically blinding him, Emmara had an entire pot freshly made, as if she had been waiting for someone to stop by. Part of him had hoped it had been Liliana, and he'd be able to straighten things out with her, but the lunch period had come and gone, and no one else had joined them. "She pretty much turned me down almost right away."

"It has nothing to do with you personally, I promise, so I really must implore you not to take offense..." Emmara pleaded, looking up at Jace. "What happened to her sort of has caused her to form the habit of keeping _anyone_ at a distance."

"Why didn't you tell me before- about what happened last year with her and Chandra's brother?" Jace asked, trying and failing not to don a sharp tone as he spoke. Emmara shrunk back, her shoulders hunched.

"I figured you'd find out on your own... and I feared my own account of things would lead me to share things with you that Liliana would rather I not talk about. She has her own secrets, and it's not my right to tell them." Emmara explained herself. "Azorius simply made her an offer she couldn't refuse, and unfortunately it came at the cost of betraying the trust of her friends."

"What sort of offer would make someone do that?" Jace inquired, staring Emmara down. It took every inch of his own will not to simply dig into her mind and find out himself.

"Unfortunately, that's a little piece of information Liliana refused to share with me- not that I haven't tried. But I know Liliana, and I know, deep down in my heart, it wasn't for personal gain... Not with her friends being caught in the crossfire." Emmara paused, taking a quick sip of her tea. "I guess it all just comes down to her not being able to make good choices. I'm the only one who she's confided in about her problems, but there are things she won't even tell me, so maybe that's why... Maybe she just needs someone else who she can open up to who could help her."

"Why not you? Why couldn't you help her!?" Jace found himself snapping.

"It's not that simple!" Much to both their surprises, Emmara snapped back. Apologetically, she drew away, lowering her voice substantially and averting her gaze in shame. "I'm a part of a guild myself, Jace. As a member of Selesnya, I can't interfere with the actions taken by the other guilds unless I'm ordered to. Azorius' dealings with Chandra's brother were something I detested, but there was nothing I could do to stop them- both from taking action and using Liliana to get what they wanted. It was out of my jurisdiction, despite my being her friend. If I were to speak out against their methods, or try to sway Liliana to reconsider, I would have been punished."

"So even staff members like you can be guild members?" Jace questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"I was a member of Selesnya when I was a student here, and when I graduated they got me a job working as the school nurse under the condition that I remain aligned with them." Emmara said, sounding exhausted and heaved a sigh that dissipated the steam rising from her cup. "If you're an important enough member to a guild, they'll do anything in their power to keep you. And let's face it, it's pretty hard for elves to get jobs anywhere outside of communities with magic folk. I hardly had a choice, and they ensure I'm paid well." She shook her head, a single, sad chuckle escaping her lips.

"Look, what I'm getting at is that Liliana needs someone who isn't associated with the guilds and their nonsense. She needs someone who can stop her from making stupid decisions, and someone who's willing to." She continued. "I'm sorry... Maybe I'm asking too much of you."

"No, you're not. I just wasn't prepared for what happened, that's all." Jace shook his head. "I'm sorry for getting angry."

"And I'm sorry for needing to ask this, but... I need you to really consider what your feelings for Liliana are." Emmara spoke, her face now stone-cold serious. "I've lived long enough to know that love at first sight isn't just stuff of fairy tales, but that it's rare and easily confused with other feelings- lust and longing. I need you to think on your feelings before approaching Liliana again."

"R-Right..." Jace slowly nodded, looking down to his reflection in the brown-tinted liquid in his cup.

"If it's really love you feel, then it will be as they say..." Emmara said wisely, lifting her tea cup to her lips. "Love conquers all."

* * *

After the general hustle and bustle of returning back to the dorms, the small talk about what had happened that day, Gideon sharing the burn marks he'd earned that morning from Chandra, dinner in the dorm dining hall, having to struggle through Gideon testing out his speakers again and a long discussion about mermaids that got a little too intimate for Jace's liking, _finally_ there was a moment of peace. Jace sat at his desk, looking over homework he'd miraculously been assigned on the first day and Gideon lay on his bed, text book he'd been reading now just lying uselessly over his face. Chances were he was asleep and had hardly read the first few pages. It didn't matter to Jace, though, since now he finally had time to actually think.

"How do I feel about Liliana?" He thought to himself, biting on the eraser of his pencil. He remembered how his stomach flipped when he first saw her, how his heart raced like he'd just run for miles, and how he'd lost all ability to form words when they came so easily to him. She'd been beautiful, yes, and she had put on a teasing display (albeit at his expense), and at first, he worried he had simply succumbed to some sort of shallow attraction. For a good, long hour he doubted himself- panicked that the first time he felt love for someone might not have even been love at all.

But, thinking back, when he first saw her, sitting up in the infirmary bed, hair tussled and eyes half open, her appearance had been merely a secondary thought- a louder thought, but not the first thing on his mind. It had simply been that she was there. There sat someone that Jace never thought would ever exist. She could have been anyone- looked like anything. She just happened to be Liliana. She'd triggered something deep inside of him- a longing to be close to her, to speak to her and to hear her speak back.

It only occurred to him then that he couldn't hear her thoughts. In the infirmary and especially in the library, when he's read every thought of every person in the room but hers. On the inside, she'd been completely quiet- her only thoughts matching the words she spoke. There was no doubt, no suspicion. She was the silence he'd wished for, for a very long time.

"Gideon..." Jace called over his shoulder. He only got a snore in return, so he turned around to face his roommate and called his name again, a bit louder this time. "Gideon!"

"I'm up, I'm up! Just don't burn me again!" Gideon shouted, sitting up as the textbook that had rested on his face flew through the air. He took a quick, sharp breath before he realized it was Jace who had roused him from slumber, and Chandra wasn't scalding his backside to get him out of bed. "Oh, it's just you, Jace."

"Hey... you like Chandra, right?" Jace pried. The calm on Gideon's face escalated to that of panic again as his eyes bugged out.

"Wh- Jace! I..." He stammered, eyes looking in all directions as he feebly searched for words. "That's... why are you-!?"

"I can kind of read minds, Gideon, so even if it wasn't completely obvious I'd be able to find out." Jace sighed. "The very first time I asked if you two were dating, you looked like she'd kicked you in the ribs."

"You..." Gideon muttered, looking a combination of angry, embarrassed and defeated. "...This better not leave the dorm room, understand?"

"So you _do_ like her?" Jace raised and eyebrow and allowed himself to victoriously grin.

"So what if I do? Is that a problem?" Gideon mumbled. "I've gotten to know her since she was little- know her better than anyone else. I don't think I'd be able to be as close to another person as I am with her. So yeah, I do!" As he spoke, he began to grow more and more defensive.

"And you'd feel this way no matter what?" Jace continued to ask. "I mean, even if everyone was against her, you'd still feel that way about her? Would you still stay with her?"

"Of course, what kind of dumb question is that?" Gideon grunted. "Unless this is your way of trying to tell me you like her, too, in which case I think we might have to fight to the death."

"No, no, nothing like that." Jace assured him, not sure if the larger of the two of them was kidding or not. "I was just checking something."

"...Checking _what_?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jace said, turning back around to hide his smile. "Just go back to sleep, Gideon."

* * *

Harsh whispers and quiet jeers permeated the silence of the library. Liliana didn't have to even look up from her book to know who had just arrived. Instead she continued to read, keeping her eyes on the words printed in the aged tome in her hands as she spoke.

"Like I told you yesterday..." She heavily sighed, glaring back at the pages as if they were the intruder himself.

"I'm not leaving." The sternness in his voice surprised her as she finally bothered to look up from her book. There was Jace Beleren, a few of his own books in hand, clearly there for the long haul. More so than that, he didn't seem to care about the whispers and glares being aimed at his back like he had the day before. He seemed awfully determined- even if it was over something as simple as sitting and reading with her. And if it was one thing Liliana respected, it was determination.

"Fine, sit down then instead of just looming over me like that." She told him, trying very, very hard not to smile as she turned back to her book, but kept Jace in her peripheral. Him simply sitting beside her without looking like he was forcing himself made her feel something inside she hadn't felt in what seemed like an eternity.

Just having him sit beside her made Liliana incredibly happy.


	5. The Dragon's Plot

The domed chamber of the library was dead silent, hardly any light shining down into the vacant room aside from the faint moonlight. Stray, blue-white rays drifted down from the windows above, casting just enough light where only the objects nearest the center of the room were just barely visible. Night had fallen, drenching the library in darkness and peace.

The doors of the library unceremoniously opening rang through the large room suddenly, breaking the silence that had consumed the room completely, followed by loud, purposeful footsteps as someone walked through the now open doorway. The sharp jangle of chains accompanied them- them and other metallic accessories adorning whoever it was who had just trespassed into the room. The magical lock had been easy to remove- but then again, no one really ever expected anyone to be either smart or stupid enough to sneak into the school in the middle of the night. No trap or alarm had been triggered, so it seemed the intruder was of the former.

Walking into the pale beam of moonlight that graced the room, the trespasser revealed themselves to be a girl- though in the most loosest of terms. It would take any person a good, few, long seconds to tell, mostly due to her wardrobe. Half her hair had been allowed to grow while the opposing side had been completely cropped, the stubble that remained shaved and shaped to form what looked like a ball of fire streaking across the side of her head. Had it not been for her skirt and hopelessly ripped tights clinging desperately to her legs, it would have been nigh impossible to tell if she really was a girl, buried under worn leather, spikes and chains. Every possible part of her body that could be pierced was, small and large metal bits catching the faint moonlight from above and twinkling like the stars that could be seen from the skylight. She seemed the type who would both start and finish fights.

Looking around the room with a gaze that bordered on disgust, she heaved a sigh heavily through her nose, sticking her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and impatiently tapped her heavy boot against the ground in impatience. She had successfully managed to get into the library on her own, but that didn't exactly calm her nerves, and every second she spent standing in the library alone was a second she could potentially be caught. It was much too soon to get thrown out of school now.

A darkness suddenly falling over the library, strangely enough, calmed her. The flapping of wings shook the entire building, followed by a rumbling that mimicked the sound and feel of a devastating earthquake. A few dozen books were shaken free from there shelves and, in the darkness, something made of glass fell from where it had been sitting and shattered. But the girl hardly moved a muscle aside from tensing up a bit, a smirk on her face but an obvious shift was apparent in her demeanor as she straightened up. The sound died down shortly afterward and the moonbeams were once again allowed to shine through the windows.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don't you?" She asked, her voice deep and husky. "Took your sweet time getting here."

"I'd watch that tone of yours, Baltrice, or else I'll personally reach down your throat and claw out your voice box." A threatening- and much to the girls surprise, feminine- voice hissed. "The magics that cloak this place aren't impossible to break through, but getting passed it all is incredibly time consuming."

From the shadows that cloaked the library, a woman looking somewhere in her late twenties glided, wearing a long, black dress that flowed down the the floor, a slit running up to her thigh exposing one of her long, slender legs. Everything about her seemed human save for her eyes. They looked like they belonged to a much more devilish, inhuman creature.

"I-I'm sorry..." Baltrice muttered, looking both frightened as well as confused as she took several steps backward despite how many steps there already were between her and the woman. She bowed slightly, focusing on everything but the woman's eyes. The woman chuckled darkly, her fingers pressed to her lips that were painted a vivid shade of red.

"Something the matter, Baltrice?" She asked, sounding amused. "You look a little more bothered than usual."

"My apologies... I just wasn't expecting you to take any other form than your usual one..." She mumbled. The woman laughed again, a little louder this time, her shoulders shaking. It was hardly booming laughter, but it still managed to make the building sway. Baltrice had to shift around and steady herself to keep from falling over.

"I have no 'usual form' my dear. When you've lived as long as me, there is no point in keeping just one. That would be much too boring." She chuckled, flipping her long, silky black hair. "But, if this form really makes you so uncomfortable, I suppose I'll put on a more... 'suitable' skin."

Baltrice looked away before the transformation even started, though the sickening shifting and squelching noises coming from the darkness were enough to make her stomach turn. She waited, keeping her eyes focused on her scuffed leather boots until she was completely sure the process was over. She'd seen it only once herself, and she could still taste the stinging tang of the vomit that had happened as a result. When she did finally dare to look up, an older man was standing in front of her now, the surface of his skin shifting about, forming the shape of raised scales before they laid flat against his form, vanishing completely. He wore a suit and tie and had well-groomed black hair and a finely-shaped beard across his strong jawline. He looked equal parts commanding and intimidating, and he held himself like royalty. The only thing that was the same between this form and the last was the same, bone-chilling stare.

"I personally hate donning a human form at all. I'd much rather take on a more natural form, but the magics here bind me to take on a form to look like the rest of you monkeys. That and I'd probably demolish this building if I were allowed to keep my usual shape." He sighed, shrugging in mock defeat. Baltrice remained silent, standing attentively before him.

"So... I take it all of the pieces are present?" He asked her. Baltrice nodded snappily, folding her arms behind her back and biting her lip.

"Yes, sir, the people you- I mean, pieces you mentioned are all here." She muttered. "Though... forgive me but I'm not sure why we have to take such a long, roundabout way. Isn't there a more direct, easier way to do this?"

"Now, now, Baltrice, that wouldn't be very interesting at all. That and I'm under agreement not to force the natural flow of events any more than I am. I'd rather allow the pieces to fall where they may instead of moving them around myself anyway." The man laughed, holding his hands aloft and shaking his head. "I've been waiting for this moment for millennia, but I'm a patient creature. I can spare a little more time."

"But-"

"But what, Baltrice?" He growled, the building shaking again as he spoke. "You and the others are here merely to plant the seeds and await orders, not argue. Just because you have been chosen to represent the Consortium doesn't give you any right to think you have a say in this matter. You're merely a piece just like the rest of them, and I can easily take you out of play and replace you. Pyromancers as talented as you like to think you are aren't in short supply."

"I-I'm sorry, forgive me!" Baltrice stammered, bowing deeply and squeezing her eyes shut. She was sure he probably didn't have the exact power, but she was still frightened that if she met his eyes at that moment, he'd turn her to stone. "I won't doubt you again, Nicol Bolas, sir."

"Good girl." A dominant grin spread across his lips as he approached Baltrice, who stiffened as she heard his foot falls draw closer and closer. "Continue to follow my orders without question and I promise you, when I get what is rightfully mine you will be rewarded _handsomely_." Once he reached her, he reached down and grasped her chin tightly and forced her to stand upright. She grunted in pain, flinching a bit before slowly opening her eyes. "I will open the minds of all my followers to the knowledge of the spark you've all lost."

"I certainly hope I'm not interrupting anything." A third voice called in an almost bored monotone from the darkness. Shifting from fearful to threatening, Baltrice tore herself away from her master's grip, sparks alighting in her eyes as brilliant red flames came to life in her hands. Nicol Bolas, on the other hand, remained still, hardly surprised by the appearance of an audience.

Standing beside one of the bookshelves was a girl about Baltrice's age, wearing nothing but a simple black shirt and pants as well as a painfully indifferent look directed at both Nicol Bolas and Baltrice's searing flames. Heavy, black makeup adorned her eyes as well as her lips, which stood out against her pale skin that was almost as white as her hair that drifted down to her back. Unlike Baltrice, she looked Nicol Bolas directly in the eyes without so much as a shiver.

"Ah, I was wondering when we were going to be joined- though I figured it would be by your meddlesome father." Nicol Bolas sneered.

"He's a little busy these days- and he trusts you won't do anything too foolish inside these walls, at least." She responded, emotionally unmoved. "I'm simply here to make sure that is the case."

"Goodness, where is the trust Avacyn?" He rolled his eyes, turning to Baltrice who still was a flick of the wrist away from throwing fireballs.

"Stand down, Baltrice, she's a player in this game, not a piece." She looked to him in surprise, and then disappointment, like she was disheartened that she wouldn't be allowed to set the library ablaze. But with a sigh her form loosened, the flames vanishing from her hands. "Good girl."

"I take it you're still very aware of the ground rules, Bolas?" Avacyn asked.

"I've been aware of them for a very long time, girl, and your father refuses to let me forget." He growled. "I am not to directly influence the flow of natural events and I am to put my faith in fate. My pieces are not to directly influence the opening of the maze or the hand of the key- I've heard it millions of times."

"Especially the key." Avacyn urged. "Only when the maze has been opened will you be able to try and sway him, but until then, Bolas, you are not to lay a single claw on Jace Beleren."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of doing such a thing." He laughed. "Not that I'm at all required to run my plans through you or your father, but I do need that boy in one piece until the very end."

* * *

"Hey, Jace!" Gideon's voice easily climbed over the din of the rest of the crowd, but where Jace was going he didn't feel all that inclined to stop. Gideon had begun to wonder where it was Jace would vanish off to during lunch period and, it seemed, vague replies hadn't been enough to indulge his curiosity. "Jace, seriously, wait up a second!"

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so-" Jace began as he finally gave in and stopped, turning around to meet his friend as he pushed his way through the swarm of bodies over to him.

"Look, I'm really sorry if I really shouldn't be prying but... people talk and I can't help but listen." Gideon began, looking a bit uncomfortable and guilty. Jace quietly sighed and narrowed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable and trying to build a response that wasn't barbed and defensive. "You... and Liliana..."

"Gods, Gideon, really? I know you aren't her biggest fan, but I at least figured you'd keep an open mind and not confront me about it like I'm doing something wrong." Jace groaned. "Who I associate myself with is really none of your business."

"I know, I know, I'm just warning you. If you want to save face here, you really should consider who you-"

"Have you even spoken to Liliana since the incident?" Jace interrupted sharply.

"Well, no..." Gideon mumbled hesitantly. "But, to that end, she hasn't made much of an attempt to get in contact with us, either."

"Maybe, if Chandra didn't act like she would burn her to a crisp if she tried, things would be a little different!" Jace snapped before taking a deep breath and holding up his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry, I really don't want this come to us getting frustrated with one another. Just... let me talk to who I want. I don't question how you run your personal life, so trust me to run mine."

"Alright, fine, I just hope you know what you're getting into." Gideon spoke warningly.

"What I'm getting into?" Jace glared, but before he could continue, someone stepped between them, ruining Jace's train of thought.

"Sorry to interrupt your lover's spat, ladies, but I have a little guild business that needs some taking care of." It was another boy- a student, judging by his looks. He had black, slicked-back hair highlighted by chunks of white. His form of dress was nothing unusual, though it bordered on the formal side, as if he were in a place of business instead of one of learning: a blue, short-sleeved dress shirt under a dark-crimson vest with gold trim and black dress pants. He wore a pair of red headphones around his neck and looked at the two of them as if he were their superior.

"Look, Ral, I'm kind of a little busy, so could you kindly-" Gideon began, sounding a mixture of forcibly polite and annoyed.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Jura, I could care less about you right now." The boy chuckled, turning his gaze to Jace, who wasn't sure why, but something about this newcomer rubbed him the wrong way. "I'm actually here to see your mind mage buddy."

"Me?" Jace questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yes, you. Who else could I possibly be talking about- the other mind reader standing around here?" The boy spoke sarcastically. "My name is Ral Zarek, and I'm here representing the Izzet Guild. Your presence has been requested by our guild leader, Niv-Mizzet."

"Right..." Jace spoke slowly, looking back and fourth as if he were looking for an exit. All of these random encounters were keeping Liliana waiting. "Look, can this wait? I've really got somewhere I need to be right now, so-"

"I'd think before I finished that sentence if I were you." Ral warned. "It's a bit unwise to turn down an invitation from any guild, especially Izzet. If you were smart, you'd put whatever personal bullshit you have on hold and come with me- make things a whole lot easier for the both of us." Jace couldn't help but gulp nervously. The way Ral spoke sounded like a threat- a real, serious threat.

"This... isn't going to take long, is it?" He questioned, trying his hardest not to seem the least bit intimidated.

"Not unless make things difficult." He assured him. "Now are you coming, or are you _coming_?"

Jace looked to Gideon for a short moment, the two of them sharing worried looks before he turned back to Ral, who looked back at him expectantly.

"Fine, if it's really so urgent. And it sounds like I don't even really have a choice in the matter." He said defeatedly.

"Well now, look who's starting to get it." Ral said mockingly. "Come on, then, Niv-Mizzet hates to be kept waiting." Immediately he began to push his way through the crowd, though for the most part people were quick to get out of his way before he had to shoulder passed them. Jace began to follow suit, Gideon close behind, whispering over his shoulder.

"Try to be a little careful. Izzet's got a little bit of a reputation of being really sneaky." He warned.

"I'll be fine, Gideon." Jace assured him, waving dismissively. "Whatever they have to say to me, I doubt they can force me into anything binding."

* * *

The meeting room for the Izzet Guild just so happened to also be in the school's largest lab room, laughably enough. Classes were regularly held there, but for the moment the room had been completely cleared out, save for Jace, Ral and one other person waiting with their back turned to them behind the desk at the front of the class. The shutters had been drawn and the overhead lights turned off, drowning the room in darkness. A smell wafted through the air that reminded Jace of the infirmary- sterile, but also a scent of some sort of expensive tea.

"Found your mind reader, Niv-Mizzet." Ral called out to the other person present in the room. With an open palm he pushed Jace deeper into the room with a chortle that grew a bit upon watching him struggle to keep upright. Jace turned to glare at him, but then continued forward toward the front of the room as the figure turned to meet him.

It was another boy looking slightly older than Jace. He wore a red and white uniform- though Jace wasn't sure what to, seeing as the school didn't have an actual uniform let alone much of a dress code to even begin with. He had short, red hair and rimless glasses that he pushed up the bridge of his nose as he turned, a smile that seemed almost fake stretched across his lips. It was his eyes, however, that struck Jace the most. Even in the low light of the lab, they looked like no eyes he'd ever seen on a human- maybe a snake or some other sort of cold-blooded creature. He didn't want to admit it, but it made him extremely uneasy.

"Ah, you must be Jace Beleren." He said, his words smooth but also strangely sinister- like some sort of suave movie villain. "We've been looking for you."

"H-Have you now?" Jace questioned just as he was offered a beaker full of some sort of liquid. He was hesitant at first, not completely sure what it was.

"Something the matter? I promise, it isn't poison." The boy chuckled, adding, "Though I can't promise something poisonous hasn't been in that glass before I filled it with tea" just as Jace took the glass. It was hot to the touch, so much so that Jace was forced to set it back on the counter. The other boy, however, held his in both hands as if the cup wasn't even the smallest bit warm, but the thick trail of steam rising up from the cup said otherwise.

"So... why exactly was I brought here?" Jace dared to ask as his host drank his tea.

"Oh yes, I have something I need to ask of you- but first allow me to introduce myself." The boy said with a sneer as he set down his cup. "I am The Firemind, Dracogenious Niv-Mizzet, guild leader of the Izzet League. I've heard many things about you, Jace Beleren, and it's nice to finally meet you in person."

"So does that mean I don't get to give myself an over-the-top introduction, too?" Jace asked sarcastically. Niv-Mizzet immediately began to laugh in response and Jace could have sworn the building shook. Maybe it was simply because, despite his polite demeanor, Niv-Mizzet had a monstrously booming laugh.

"It's refreshing to see someone who has a sense of humor." He chuckled. "Not very many people find it in themselves to be able to joke with me."

"Thanks, but I really doubt I was brought here for the sake of entertainment."

"Ah, yes, my apologies." Niv-mizzet nodded, picking up his beaker of tea again. "I actually brought you here because I require your expertise of mind reading. A powerful steroid our guild was developing has recently gone missing, and we have reason to believe it was stolen."

"A powerful steroid?" Jace asked, his tone dripping with disbelief.

"With enough funds and time, you'd be surprised what powerful minds can come up with." Niv-Mizzet explained with a shrug. "All that aside, we have information that points to one of the members of Boros being behind the disappearance of our little experiment: one Tajic. You might know him as the star quarterback of our schools football team, if you care at all for sports. If him having stolen the steroid ends up being the case, then there's no doubt he plans on using it as an unfair advantage- quite unsportsmanlike, if you ask me."

"So where in the world does that leave me?" Jace questioned.

"Well, right now it's all just in the realm of speculation. We've done plenty of observation and info gathering, and obviously Tajic and the other members of the team aren't going to tell us or probably don't even know. What we need now is to get inside Tajic's mind and force his guilt or innocence out of him." Niv-Mizzet went on. "And that's where you come in."

"...And what if I refuse?" Jace dared to ask. A small gleam appeared in Niv-Mizzet's inhuman eyes, as if he were excited to share the next piece of information with him.

"Well, it's against code to bring any physical harm to you for refusing aside from a few cuts and bruises, but that would hardly teach you a lesson- those things heal." He sneered. "It is, however, normal procedure to humiliate and make an example of you, and it isn't unheard of that we teach you a lesson by making those close to you suffer." An almost child-like glee came over Niv-Mizzet as he began to count on his fingers the few acquaintances Jace had. "There's that fiery pyromancer girl; she isn't aligned with any guilds, so there's no limit to what we could do to her. Then we have that fool Gideon and that sickeningly sweet nurse who I'm sure treasure their spot on the football team and their job respectively. Oh..." He paused, grinning from ear to ear. "And you seem to have taken a liking to that Vess girl as well, haven't you?"

Jace became consumed with anger at the very mention of anything being done to Liliana. A furious look consumed his features as he glared back at Niv-Mizzet, who merely gazed back at him with a victorious smirk.

"You wouldn't dare!" Jace snarled.

"Only if you don't agree to comply and do this small favor for us, Beleren." Niv-Mizzed laughed (and the fact he was so amused only made Jace's blood boil even more). "So? What do you say? It's not like we're asking you to kill a man- just read his mind."

"..." Jace bit his lip in frustration, looking down to the floor and refusing to meet Niv-Mizzet's eyes as he said, "Fine! I'll read Tajic's mind, just don't do anything to my friends."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it- at least, now that you've complied." The cruel-looking boy chuckled under his breath. "The best way to go about meeting with him would be the football team's tryouts. I'm not expecting you to make the team- and, let's face it, with that stick-like frame of yours, let's not fool ourselves into thinking you will- I'm just expecting you to look into Tajic's mind and find whether or not he's the culprit."

"...Is that all?" Jace grumbled. "If that's all, I need to go- I have someone waiting for me."

"Alright, so long as you understand what must be done, you may go. I'm sure your dear Liliana hates being kept waiting." Jace looked back at Niv-Mizzet in disbelief, and even took a threatening step forward. The older boy seemed unmoved by this gesture, as well as a little annoyed. With a sigh he offered up an explanation.

"We have eyes all over this school, Jace, as do the other guilds. We keep tabs on everyone- at least, everyone we have an interest in using. Of course, everyone knows about you and that girl's little trysts in the library."

"You mention Liliana one more time and I swear I'll-"

"Mister Beleren!" Niv-Mizzet interrupted firmly. "You... wouldn't have happened to have ever met a dragon before, would you?" A sly, dominant smile crept across his lips.

"A dragon?" Jace asked. He wasn't a fool, he knew dragons existed- they were simply so rare most people would probably never meet one in their lifetime, and so far Jace was one of the majority who hadn't. "Can't say I have..."

"Well, that explains how you were able to take such a tone with me. Maybe if you had known you would have been just a little more polite."

Jace suddenly became overwhelmed with fear, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he sensed a much larger presence in the room with him. Something brushed against his mind that caused him to shiver, and for a second, he could have sworn that the shadow drifting behind Niv-Mizzet grew into a much larger, menacing shape. He took several steps backward, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"You... You're-"

"I am Niv-Mizzet: The Firemind, Dracogenious and I do not take kindly to being taken lightly." Niv-Mizzet growled, sounding like him and someone with a much deeper, more threatening, booming voice were speaking. A trail of smoke exited his lips as he spoke. "Now get out of here, before I set your brain on fire."

Jace was more than happy to comply.


	6. Touchdown!

Liliana stared down at her book, only half-reading and devoting the other half of her senses to listening. Lunch period was nearly over, and Jace had yet to show, and despite how calm she looked on the outside she couldn't help but feel a little upset over how late he was. This only managed to upset her even more, seeing as how she'd grown so accustomed to him being there in such a short time the fact he hadn't shown up for once actually managed to bother her. It was all just a perpetual loop over being hurt Jace had possibly snubbed her and annoyed at herself for growing so attached to his being there- even if it was only once a day during school days. Even if it was for a little over and hour. She sighed, trying to delve deeper into her book unsuccessfully.

Hearing someone finally approaching her, she dared not show as much eagerness as she felt. She kept her eyes locked on the page of her book, although now she was no longer even pretending to be engrossed on what was written on the page. She simply waited for whoever it was to finally reach her- and really, who else could it possibly be? No one else had a reason to come up to her. If it was a guild member coming on behalf of a guild leader, they wouldn't have taken they're sweet time, and... that was really it on the list of people who would come to speak to her that weren't Jace. When her guest finally reached the table she sighed, a slight smirk on her face.

"You really know how to keep a girl waiting, don't you?" She chuckled, looking up from her book only to realize that, much to her surprise, her visitor wasn't Jace at all. Instead, it was a girl, looking back at her with the level of indifference one would have looking at a blank wall. This was hardly insulting, seeing as who it was, and how often they held such an expression.

"Oh... Avacyn..." Liliana spoke, trying to not sound as surprised, disappointed and embarrassed as she felt on the inside. She tried to match the pale-skinned girls level of not caring, but it was something Avacyn had perfected. She had hobbies and talents (being a member of the school choir and one of the better artists that attended Ravnica Academy) but she hardly expressed anything passed boredom or a blank, indifferent stare. It made even Liliana uncomfortable, despite her blank stare being a welcome change from the looks of anger and contempt she usually got.

Avacyn looked around a few times before speaking, her wispy, white hair fluttering about her with each minute turn of her head.

"Jace Beleren... he isn't here?" She asked, not sounding concerned about his absence at all. She was simply asking, like she were asking about the weather.

"Does it look like he's here?" Liliana retorted, trying to return to her book. "He's... probably just busy with something. If you're looking for him, I have no idea where he is- it's not like I keep tabs on the guy."

"How do you feel about him?" The question came so suddenly and completely out of nowhere, Liliana nearly dropped her book. She shifted her gaze swiftly back up to Avacyn, who was patiently awaiting a reply, her darkly-painted lips neither frowning nor grinning. Again she asked another question like it was just a regular piece of small talk. Liliana narrowed her eyes, unable to stop herself from blushing as she considered the question for a good few, long seconds.

"What business is it of yours?" She finally asked back. "When did my feelings for Jace become a curiosity of the stuck-up daughter of the dean?" Avacyn remained unmoved, her lips parting for a moment like she was actually going to answer just before someone came thundering into their midst.

"I'm _so sorry_ I'm late!" It was Jace, looking a bit too horrified over simply being late to their usual meetings. He briefly looked over his shoulder, like he had been running from something, before he sighed heavily with both relief and exhaustion. "I got a little held up by-" He stopped, realizing the third person among them, her blank, unmoved attention now glued to him. "U-Um... one of your friends?"

"Hardly." Liliana answered, trying not to sound to relieved he had finally showed as she returned to half-reading her book. "Her name's Avacyn. Get used to the long, drawn out, awkward silence- that's kind of her trademark."

Jace looked from Liliana to Avacyn who was still contentedly staring back at him, as if she were closely studying something on his face. She wore mostly black, similar to Liliana, but her manner of dress was far more simple: just a plain, black tank top, black pants that cut off just below the knee, black, closed-toe heels and a black wristband on each of her wrists. The only thing striking about her at all was her eyes that stood out against her pallid complexion.

"Um... Hey," was all he could really muster under her intense stare. It almost felt as if she was looking into his very soul, and even the simple, wayward thought of her being able to do such a thing made him wildly uncomfortable. "...I'm Jace."

"I know." Avacyn responded in a tone that was silky smooth, but held little to no feeling. She nodded slightly, tucking a strand of her wavy, white hair behind her ear. "I simply came here to assess your and Liliana's relationship."

"Assess our-" Hearing someone call what he and Liliana had a "relationship" made Jace blush a bit.

"Would it be too much to ask- I don't know- _why_?" Liliana asked, sounding leagues more annoyed than Jace was. She glared back at Avacyn, but the pale-skinned girl hardly seemed to care- both for Liliana's clear contempt and Jace's slight embarrassment.

"I was simply curious." Avacyn shrugged, looking to Jace once more. It was so small and the moment was so brief, but he could swear he saw the otherwise emotionless girl flash him a quick smile before turning around without another single word of explanation and take her leave. Both Jace and Liliana watched in confused silence until she had left the library completely.

"What was that about?" Jace asked, turning to Liliana with a quizzical look on his face. All she could to was shrug, still clearly annoyed as she shook her head.

"Hell if I know. That girl's hardly said two words to me since I came here." She muttered. "She might be doing some weird info gathering for her dad, but even that seems really unlikely. I can't tell what she's thinking at all."

"Her dad?" Jace questioned as he sat down- or rather flopped down into his chair like he'd run a mile before he'd arrived.

"Mr. Markov, the dean- they're resemblance is pretty uncanny, I'm surprised you didn't notice." She explained, finally going back to her book but not actually reading anything. She would never admit it, but she'd been on the same page for a very, very long time.

"Oh!" Jace exclaimed, twisting around in the direction Avacyn had vanished. "Now that you mention it, they do look similar. That also explains why I felt so uncomfortable..."

"So where were you?" Liliana cut in, eyes still glued to her book. The trick was not to seem like she cared too much about his disappearance. "You're awfully late and you came here acting like you'd seen a ghost."

"Dragon, actually." Jace corrected, gaining a questioning look from Liliana, who cocked an eyebrow. "I was asked to do something for one of the guilds, and I hate to admit it, but I got a little spooked."

"Those mind reading powers of yours finally getting you attention, huh?" She asked with a smirk. "Which guild?"

"Izzet. They want me to read the mind of someone named Tajic on the football team. They think he stole something from them and need me to see if that's the case." Jace sighed, resting his chin in his upturned palm.

"Ah, well that explains the dragon comment." Liliana chuckled. "Niv's pretty scary, but he's mostly all bark and no bite. He's the only dragon attending the academy so he's under strict rules not to lay a claw on anyone- Something about him being the test run for the school to see if they want to start enrolling more magical beasts. So you don't have to worry about him, just everyone else in the guild."

"That's reassuring." Jace rolled his eyes.

"So how do you plan on doing it- reading Tajic's mind, I mean?" She inquired. "He's a pretty private guy, if I'm not mistaken. When he's not on the football field or in class, he usually vanishes."

"The only surefire way to meet with him is going to be football tryouts it sounds like." Jace explained to her. "I just need to be around him a little while and find what I need, then I can go back to not worrying about what Niv-Mizzet and the rest of Izzet could possibly do to me." There was a brief pause, followed by a snort, which only managed to bother Jace even more.

"What?"

"I'm sorry..." Liliana mumbled between chuckles, covering her mouth in a sad attempt to hide her laughter. "It's just... picturing you trying out for football... you and your skinny little frame."

"Seriously, I'm not _that_ skinny!" Jace groaned. "...Am I?" Just then the bell rang, declaring the end of the lunch period. Liliana closed her book, a look of glee still on her face as she stood.

"Just wait until tryouts, then come to me and tell me you aren't that skinny." She chuckled. "You've seen football teams at normie schools, Jace, but you just wait until you see just the team hopefuls here."

* * *

Liliana was right, Jace thought to himself as he looked back and forth at the other students who were trying out for the football team. He was, without a doubt, skinny. Everyone else looked like they had come out of the womb bench pressing, and there wasn't a single person like him to be seen. Everyone else of his stature must have been chased away by the thought of having all of their bones crushed just during tryouts. The old, extra pads he'd been given by the team, even at the smallest size they had, still fit him pretty loosely, and wiggled about when he moved while the others had their padding held tight against their muscular forms. Now Jace was wishing he'd just found Tajic after class.

It also didn't help that, along with the pungent smell of years worth of sweat clinging to the padding he wore, he couldn't help but also pick up the faint odor of blood.

"Well, this is a surprise!" A familiar voice called out. Jace turned to see Gideon, looking like he was holding back laughter. "Out of all the places I figured I'd see you, Jace, football tryouts is by far the last. What happened, did you lose a bet?"

"I..." Jace began before swallowing back his words. Maybe talking to a member of Boros about how he'd come to read another member's mind to see if they'd stolen something from another guild, regardless of whether or not he was his friend, wasn't the greatest of ideas. That, and, according to Liliana, the football team itself was made up of mostly Boros members. "I just wanted to try something new."

"Like what, being bound to a wheelchair the rest of the year?" Gideon joked, before giving into laughter and slapping Jace firmly on the back, knocking the wind right out of his lungs. "Sorry, I really don't mean to scare you. Just be really careful out there- a couple of these guys look like they could use you to pick stuff out of their teeth."

"What was that? About not wanting to scare me?" Jace asked, glowering up at his friend who reached down to ruffle his hair, a single, booming laugh escaping him as he did.

"Good luck out there, buddy." He said with a smile, running over to a group of equally-muscled people Jace had to assume were members of the team. One of them he recognized as Tajic, from what little pictures he'd seen of him (mostly blurred pictures of him running around the field out of old yearbooks). He could easily just reach out and read his mind now, really. He'd have to do a little bit of searching, but it wouldn't take long, and he could avoid the possibility that was losing the use of his legs.

"Alright, newbies, gather up!" Someone yelled- or, rather, roared from the field. All the new potential team members stampeded onto the field, taking Jace with them who, at first, tried to fight the current of bodies but eventually gave up and allowed himself to be herded. He was brought to the center of the football field where a buff-looking Nacatl who, aside from being just as musclebound as everyone else, had a pelt as white as snow. His mane puffed out around the collar of his blue and white team uniform and it was near impossible to tell if he was wearing pads like the rest of them, or if he was truly that massive.

"My name is Ajani Goldmane, and I've been put in charge of running you ladies through the paces today." He half-spoke, half-roared. Every word he spoke seemed to be accompanied by a low, threatening rumble deep in his throat. "We'll start with a series of warm ups, followed by a short scrimmage. That should be enough to separate the actual players from..." His eyes drifted over Jace, the shortest and least built of the entire group. "...the weaklings." Everyone around him chuckled, as if they knew to whom Ajani was referring. Jace bit his lip, refusing to turn away from the gigantic cat man, mostly to save his already crumbling pride.

Jace hoped the constant put-downs would be enough to fuel him with enough energy to get through the warm ups, at least, but not even a few of them in he was already drenched in sweat. Everyone else seemed to plow through the exercises like they were nothing- running, jumping, pushing heavy objects followed by more running followed by more pushing and pulling- but the longer things went on for Jace, the more "warm ups" started to feel like torture. Everything ached, even his lungs from how heavy he'd been breathing.

It wasn't that he wasn't physically fit- but his body could only be put through so much before it started to break down despite his hopes to not look like a total weakling. He didn't even have any intention of joining the team, he just wanted to salvage his pride- keyword being "wanted to". By the time the warm ups had finally ended and the prospective team members were called back into a circle around Ajani, Jace was almost certain that, if he stopped moving about in any sort of way, he would most likely faint.

"Alright, I think I've seen enough." Ajani said, chuckling lightly as his gaze rested on Jace for a short moment, who was still trying to catch his breath. A few pairs of judgmental eyes fell on him as well, no longer finding amusement in Jace's clear lack of anything that could get him on the team. Instead, he now seemed to be the subject of their annoyance now, like an old, tired joke someone told too many times. "We just need to do a quick scrimmage to see how well you ladies play."

Without a moments pause, he began to point at each person in the group and call out names that Jace could only assume were positions they would play. He certainly was no stranger to football, but he didn't really know anything passed what a "quarterback" was, and where people were spreading out to didn't even give him much of a hint to what the names meant either.

"Beleren!" Ajani called out, and Jace snapped to attention. He had a sneer across his thin, black lips, like he was plotting something devious.

"Y-Yeah?" Jace answered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Running back." Ajani said as he pointed to one end of the field where one half of the players had gathered. Jace could only respond with confused silence, but the cat-man seemed to understand, and responded first with mocking laughter and a roll of his eyes. "You run toward the opponents endzone and catch the ball. Is that too complicated for you, or do you think you can handle that?"

"Yeah, I got it." Jace grumbled, heading in the direction Ajani had pointed. He looked over the the bleachers to where Tajic, Gideon and a few other members of the team were sitting, looking over clipboards and pointing in different directions toward the field. The entire time he'd been working up a more than impressive amount of sweat, he hardly had gotten any time at all to look into Tajic's mind. He'd been kept horribly busy, and Tajic kept on moving around and out of sight. Had his mind been familiar to him, reaching out and boring into his thoughts would have been easy, but Tajic was otherwise a total stranger and his mind was new and unfamiliar. It would take a little bit of effort to look through his mind and find something specific.

He more or less let people sort of push him into position. Mimicking the movements of everyone else as they all hunched over, ready to spring forward, all Jace could really dig out of their minds that wasn't something mean-spirited or derogatory was pretty much exactly what Ajani had said- he just had to run past everyone, stay open, catch the ball and run like hell toward the endzone. That and everyone on the defensive side had every intention of plowing him into the ground. Excellent.

Only when everyone started moving did Jace feel incredibly compelled to. There were several other people on either side of him, but it seemed the opposing players only wanted to go after him as he watched them all converge around him. His only option was to do as he was told and run- and run like hell he did. And thankfully his smaller stature that everyone had mocked up until that point allowed him to maneuver more easily between the hulking bodies of the other players, and by some crazy miracle he managed to escape from the thick of where nothing but muscle filled his vision. All he had to do now was turn for a brief moment and hope the quarterback had thrown the ball.

In an act of complete, blind faith, he turned his head without really studying what was behind him and simply held out his arms, having no time to stop or even slow down. He could hear the thundering footfalls behind him, he knew he could hardly spare a second if he didn't want to be buried beneath a small handful of gigantic footballs players. Much to his, and everyone else's surprise, the football had been thrown with just enough accuracy to land in Jace's arms. He fumbled with it for a bit, the sting of the leather hitting his arms causing him to flinch. But now all there was to do was run like a madman toward the endzone and-

His eyes scanning the bleachers for not even a second he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure dressed in her usual black and violent hues. Liliana was leaning over the railing in front of the front-most seats, waving to him, maybe possibly cheering him on. Fear of being crushed was more than enough to force Jace to run faster than he ever had before, but her appearance caused him to slow down despite that. For a second, all there was before him was her.

"Hey, Lili-!" He managed to shout before the first body collided with him, easily taking him down and forcing him down to the ground. Jace watched in embarrassment and horror as his field of vision violently shifted from Liliana to the grass below as the ball slipped from his grasp. From there it was a wild dog pile that he could do nothing but take. The football rolled freely away from the mountain of bodies that now lay on top of Jace as a whistle was blown that he could just barely hear.

The rush of being plowed into the ground quite possibly might have caused him to pass out, seeing as the next moment Jace opened his eyes he was on the sidelines looking up at several people looking down- some unfamiliar faces just giggling and chuckling away, Gideon who looked a mixture of concerned and amused now that his friend had woken up and Liliana right at the very edge of the crowd, looking apologetic, balled up fists pressed against her chest as she cringed and mouthed what Jace figured was a "sorry".

"Come on, get out of the way, give the little man some air!" Someone bellowed as the small crowd of people began to break up. Tajic walked into his line of vision, looking down at Jace with a questioning look that wondered loudly what in the world he was even doing there (and, oh, if only he knew).

"I'm guessing... I didn't quite make the cut, huh?" Jace chuckled weakly, grunting as he attempted to pull himself up. Nothing was broken, thank gods, but his entire body ached and it hurt to put his weight on his arms.

"Yeah, I think we both know you're more suited for something a little... less physically taxing." Tajic said with a laugh, offering his hand to Jace and yanking him up quickly when he took it. And in that moment- that second, that single heartbeat- Tajic's mind was finally free to be delved into. Meeting the taller boy's eyes, Jace reached in, searching for keywords or trains of thought that would lead him to what he was looking for. In that single second he searched, flipping passed memories and ideas that were irrelevant to his search. In that single second, Jace found what he was looking for.

"Jace!" Liliana called out once Jace was on his feet, allowing him to lean on her shoulder, which he more than gladly used. "You're not hurt? You ate it in a really epic way..."

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Jace assured her, trying to put weight on one of his feet and immediately hopping off of it when he felt the slightest sting. "I mean, I've certainly had worse." He gave her a smile twinged with pain that was far from convincing.

"You should head to the infirmary and get that foot checked out." Tajic suggested. "You might have just simply twisted it on your way down, but there's a chance it may be a sprain." Jace nodded, feeling a little bad for what he'd come there to do. Despite his crime, Tajic seemed like a legitimately nice person- or at least, he wasn't thinking of all the ways he could clobber him like everyone else had. Actual concern from one of the meaty football players was a welcome change.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jace nodded, smirking slightly as Liliana began to lead him away. He hissed in pain as he attempted to use his injured foot again before giving up and giving in to walking with an obvious limp. "Sorry for causing such a fuss." Tajic waived his apology casually, obviously not really having any more words. Something told Jace something like this hardly ever happened, seeing as most people were equipped with enough sense to know whether or not they were cut out for sports. Most people probably weren't forced to attend tryouts just for the sake of reading the mind of one of the players, either.

"So, did you get what you came for?" Liliana whispered as the two of them slowly retreated. "Was the potential sprain worth it?"

"I can't really say _that,_ but I did finally get to look into his mind." Jace spoke softly, shaking his head. "Tajic's guilt... was more than clear."


	7. Another Task

"I must admit, I never expected to ever be treating you for anything stronger than a headache." Emmara half-chuckled as she sat down before Jace who was holding his injured foot before her. She examined it first without touching it, just to be sure, before taking it gently in one hand and wrapping a bandage tightly around his ankle with the other. Jace grunted in pain at the slightest touch, trying to hide each flinch as she brushed and passed over tender areas that sent small shocks of pain up his leg. "It's just a small sprain, thank goodness, but still, how in the world did you get such an injury?"

"Football tryouts." Jace explained plainly between flinches. The very mention of them gave the kind nurse pause as she looked up at him, the look on her face asking him to stop joking. He put on his most serious gaze in response, silently telling her he wasn't, and to please not laugh. At best, Emmara was able to keep it to simply a half smile and exhaling heavily through her nose before returning to her work. "Not the smartest thing for me do, I know."

"Then why even try at all?" Emmara asked curiously as she fastened the bandage, making sure it was taught. "Not to sound insulting, but you never struck me as a sporty person."

"You and everyone else." Jace muttered, rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't to win the affections of anyone or anything, was it?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, if you want to impress a lady, potentially harming yourself is..." She peered over at Liliana, who was helping out with making the tea that day and looking back at her over her shoulder, not bothering to hide the amused look on her face.

"Fat chance." She chuckled softly under her breath, barely reaching the other two.

"N-No, it wasn't anything like that!" Jace denied, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "It was guild business- I had to read someone's mind."

"Oh? Part of a guild then, are we?" Emmara pried.

"No, not really- they just sort of asked me to do something for them... or rather they forced me." Jace explained, sounding bitter. "But I got what I needed. All I need to do is report back to them, and I can be done with this whole mess."

"Well what guild-?"

Before Emmara could even finish, someone else let themselves into the infirmary, not bothering to be quiet about it and allowed the door to swing all the way the hinges would allow before the door made a strained cracking noise. Liliana and Jace flinched, but Emmara only lowered her head, turning away from the door as the new visitors strode in. Jace recognized them right away: Niv-Mizzet and Ral Zarek- the former of the two putting on an almost regal air while the other seemed smug enough for the both of them.

"Ah, good, you've already started making tea. I'll take a large cup, if you don't mind." Niv-Mizzet smirked, looking to Liliana who glared but didn't say a word in response.

"Didn't make the team, Beleren?" Ral asked, turning to him with a sneer. "Not that I'm surprised, I'm just affirming what I already knew."

"Look, I got what you wanted, I'd appreciate it if you didn't-" Jace began to snap before Niv-Mizzet cut in, stepping in front of Ral and putting a stop to whatever argument that would have sprung up between them.

"And we were so very eager to see what you'd found that we couldn't wait for you to come to us." He explained, hardly sounding sincere. "And I suppose it doesn't hurt to check and see if they didn't rip one of your limbs off. That could... complicate things." He looked to Emmara, who was still looking contently at the floor tiles. "I take it his injury isn't severe?"

"U-Um..." Emmara, who usually spoke so smooth and sure, stammered, smoothing back her hair as she struggled to meet the guild leader's piercing gaze. "No... it's just a sprain. He just needs to keep off the foot as much as he can for... a few days, I'd wager."

"Good, nothing too serious, then." He nodded, seeming proud about the fact he was causing the elven woman to stammer and stutter simply with his presence. With the same, proud look he turned to Jace, who pained himself to stare the dragon-in-disguise in the eyes. "And what of Tajic?"

"Your suspicions were correct: he did take the-" Jace began, but was swiftly cut off as Niv-Mizzet reached out to ruffle his hair, gripping his skull in a warning grip. Beneath projected flesh and bone were massive claws and muscle enough to crush his skull like an eggshell. Jace wasn't quite sure why it was he was warning him to stop speaking, but he was more than eager to obey.

"Good, excellent, you do us a great service Beleren." He spoke in a dark tone that sent a chill up Jace's spine. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid to say your service isn't quite over and done with."

"Wh-!?" Jace exclaimed. He would have risen to his feet had it not been for his injury. "I read Tajic's mind just like you asked! What else could you possibly want from me?"

"Well, now that we know for a fact he's guilty we'll have someone else in much better physical condition retrieve what is ours. You, however, will be put in charge of making sure that brute remembers nothing about having ever wronged us, or what he stole." He explained.

"But... I can't-"

"Now, Jace, don't be so modest. Wiping the minds of others is your specialty, or did I hear wrong?" Niv-Mizzet asked with a sly sneer. "Is that not what ended up landing you here with us in the first place?"

Without warning, Jace stood, putting enough force into his rising that he pushed the bed he was sitting on back, permeating the otherwise quiet room with a loud, metallic shriek. He glared back at the red-head, a look of fury in his eyes that was enough to take even Niv-Mizzet back. No one ever glared back at him like that, not until then. Jace Beleren continued to surprise him.

"Jace, your foot!" Liliana began to warn, but he stood despite the pain, staring down the dragon cloaked in illusion like he was seconds away from decking him in the jaw.

"Don't you ever bring that up again." Jace warned. "What happened before I came here and what happened to get me here are my own business, and nothing to stick your snout into." Niv-Mizzet stared quietly back at Jace, anger burning in his eyes before he snorted in frustration.

"Regardless, you know as well as me this isn't something you can just back out of, Beleren." He growled. "We've discussed this before, you know exactly what is still on the line. All we ask is that you make sure Tajic has no memory of his crimes against us, and then I give you my word your usefulness to Izzet will be over and done with."

For a brief moment, Jace looked to Liliana, who looked like she was ready to defend herself with Emmara's tea pot if she needed to. He knew what was on the line, and as much as he hated having his own powers getting exploited, there were far worse things that could happen.

"Fine." He muttered, refusing, at least, to sound compliant. "How in the world am I supposed to confront Tajic? Mind wiping is a pretty careful process, so I can't just happen upon him at practice or at a game. I need him alone."

"That's your problem." Ral injected, seeming no less smug than when he'd walked in. "You're a pretty bright guy- or at least we assume you are. We trust you can come up with something without our help."

"But-!" Jace began to say, but both Ral and Niv-Mizzet turned away, walking out of the room as if he no longer existed. His troubles weren't their problem now, and they knew he would eventually be forced to deliver. All they really had to do was drop another task in his lap, possibly make him feel as uncomfortable and bothered as possible in that short time, and leave to go do... whatever it was they did behind the backs of the other guilds and students.

"The tea will have to wait, dear." Niv-Mizzet said with a smirk to Liliana, who hadn't bothered to attend to his original request. "Maybe another time." He began to follow Ral out before pausing at the doorway and turning to Emmara, who still seemed worlds more uncomfortable than either Jace or Liliana. She could feel his gaze fall on her once more and dared to meet it.

"Tell me, now that Mat'Selesnya has graduated, Selesnya is busy naming a new guild leader I take it?" He asked, waiting for her to silently nod. "Your name has come up quite a lot in the chatter concerning the matter. Could it be you're in the running for the title?"

"Yes... mostly for my seniority in the guild and my being on the staff rather than being a student. It would... give them a considerable advantage to have me as guild leader since I'm the only staff member who's a member of their guild." Emmara muttered, her voice trembling despite how hard it appeared she was trying. "There are other people to chose from out of the pool, so I can't say for certain..."

"Amusing." Niv-Mizzet chuckled darkly. "To think that, the next we meet, we might meet as equals. Well, equals in name only, that is. You have a long way to go in any other regard, but you have my vote it comes to a guild-wide nomination. I'd rather have an opposing guild be led by an older woman who can't even meet my eyes."

With that he left, turning his back on all three of them and striding proudly out of the infirmary and allowing the door to loudly slam behind him. Only then did Emmara slouch in her chair, heaving a heavy, anxious sigh. Only then did Jace realize just how much pain he was in and sat down, looking guiltily down at the floor and rubbing his injury. Liliana stood nervously before them, unsure of who to comfort first, or what to pry about first. Both of them apparently had baggage they hadn't bothered to tell her, and both of them seemed more than a little troubled about it.

"So... Guild leader, huh?" Jace spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen between them with a forced chuckle as he tried his best to regain composure. Emmara finally raised her head, giving him a nod and a nervous smile.

"Yes, I was chosen as one of the candidates personally by Mat'Selesnya before she graduated." She explained, and although it sounded like a grand honor to both Jace and Liliana, Emmara only acted disheartened as she told them, clasping her hands and placing them in her lap. "I have no confidence in myself, though. I don't know if I'd be able to deal with the pressure... not to mention having to meet with all the other guild leaders. Niv alone is enough to make me uncomfortable..."

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Liliana entered into the conversation, handing Emmara a cup of tea. "Niv just likes scaring people, don't pay him any mind. We need someone like you as a guild leader: a person who actually cares and doesn't exploit their power and people to get what they want." Emmara looked up at her, a light blush on her cheeks and her mouth slightly agape, words of thanks struggling to make it up her throat where a warm lump had begun to grow.

"Yeah, this is only my first time being used by a guild and I'm already sick of it." Jace agreed. "You'll make a good guild leader." He still looked considerably worried, his own problems still looming over him like a thick, black, ominous cloud. Finally, a smile crept across Emmara's features as she looked shyly down at her tea.

"Both of you are just saying those things to make me feel better." She chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

"Well, is it working?" Liliana asked. The elven woman clicked her tongue in response, the tension vanishing from her shoulders.

"A... A little." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "My own worries aside, I'm a little concerned for Jace." She paused, turning to him as Liliana handed him his own cup of tea. "They sort of just dropped this new assignment in your lap, didn't they?"

"It's because Niv's a dick and he loves it." Liliana groaned. "He'll do anything if it means he'll be the cause of someone's misery."

"Well, I can't just call up Tajic and ask him if he wants to chat. Mindwiping is a really delicate thing- if he gets the least bit suspicious it may not even work." Jace sighed. "Me asking to meet him alone might make him paranoid."

"So what are you going to do?" Liliana asked, honestly having nothing to add, despite how much she wanted to. She was no mind mage, and she had no idea how in the world such a person functioned.

"...I'm going to have to ask for some inside help." Jace decided after a short period of silence. "It puts me in danger of being exposed and all of Boros knowing what I'm doing, but it's really the only option I have. I only have the option of appealing to their ethical side, I just really hope it works."

"Who in Boros could you possibly appeal to?" Liliana asked him. "Exposing yourself to any of them is just asking for trouble from both them and Izzet. And, last I checked, Niv doesn't take kindly to failure."

"They've left me no choice but to risk it." Jace explained himself, teetering back to his feet. "Right now I can only hope that going with my gut for once isn't going to get me into trouble with either Boros or Izzet."

"Yeah, and after that little stunt you pulled back there with standing up to Niv and Ral, I can only guess you're walking on hot coals already." Liliana mentioned. Jace chuckled nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't think I'll have any reason to worry about that. He's probably long forgotten about it." He assured her, gaining looks of confusion from both Liliana and Emmara.

* * *

"Sir... do you really think it wise to have all this riding on Jace being able to mind wipe Tajic?" Ral Zarek asked his guild leader who was walking several paces ahead. Everyone in their way stepped to the side of the hall and bowed their heads, as if meeting the eyes of Izzet's fearsome guild leader would petrify them. "I mean... The boy is talented, we've already assessed that, but I don't recall him having any sort of expertise in wiping the minds of other people. The brain is a very delicate thing- if Tajic so much as realizes someone's in his head, messing with his thoughts he'll-"

"Do you have doubts in my judgement, Ral?" Niv-Mizzet growled, turning to his subordinate with a withering gaze.

"N-No, sir." Ral straightened up, arms practically glued to his sides.

"Then don't question me." The disguised dragon hissed. "Jace Beleren excels at magic involving the minds of other people, or so I've managed to dig up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to pull off removing a memory from someone's brain- regardless of whether or not he's done so before. He didn't seem to have any sort of qualm at the mention of such magic, so I can only assume it's something he's dabbled in before."

"That fool did manage to make it this long in a normie school." Ral chuckled nervously. "I'm sure he had to wipe the memory of him being a mage from people's brains more than once to make it by."

"Exactly my point. There's no way he managed to stay absolutely covert all these years among regular humans. Not very many people his age are transferred to this academy. You know as well as I do it's nearly impossible to pull off. They probably sniffed him out years ago, they just don't remember it."

"R-Right..." Ral nodded, feeling the dragon's overwhelming presence begin to seep out of his assumed form. It was almost suffocating, and it took a large amount of Ral's concentration to steady his own breathing. He despised how powerless he felt under the thumb of such a terrifying creature. If he hadn't fallen under Niv-Mizzet's command when the two of them entered the academy, gods-damn he would have made his own guild- one that would stand in opposition to Niv-Mizzet's slave-driving cruelty. "Sorry to have doubted you... sir."

* * *

The music blaring from Jace's dorm room was exceptionally loud that day, like his roommate was attempting to bring down the very foundation of the building with sound waves. It was an amazing sight, as Jace forced his way through the door and peered in while pressing his hands tightly against his ears, to see Gideon proudly standing before the thumping speakers, his ears unguarded and hardly shrinking even the slightest bit before the overwhelming din. He attempted to call his friend's name several times, but each time, his words were drowned out by the music. He might as well have been whispering into the wall of sound with how easily his words were carried away.

Figuring it best not to hurt his throat or waste the air, Jace pushed forward, knocking Gideon's arm roughly with his elbow, keeping his hands pressed to his ears. He turned to Jace, looking energized by the ear-splitting noises coming from his speakers. Maybe Gideon had simply gone deaf years ago and was really good at reading lips and had learned to sense things around him without the use of sound. Jace could only assume.

"Jace!" Jace could only assume Gideon shouted over the blaring sound of the music. Upon realizing his friend, who's eardrums he didn't want to do irreparable damage to, had arrived, he quickly found the power button to the sound system, killing the music and leaving the air around them ringing from the lack of intrusive noise. "I half-expected to see you hobbling in here on crutches."

"Sorry to disappoint." Jace chuckled, sitting on his bed exhaustedly, wishing he'd taken the crutches Emmara had offered him, or the shoulder Liliana had lent. Walking from the campus to the dormitories on a bad foot had been a process he felt had been unnecessary had he simply decided to toss away whatever pride made it seem like walking on his injured ankle was a good idea.

"Had you told me you were going to try out for the football team, I would have tried to dissuade you from doing it. You made it out with that little injury, luckily, but it could have been much worse. Everyone on that team or trying to be apart of that team are ruthless."

"I noticed." Jace sighed, checking the bandages wrapped around his injury, making sure they hadn't come loose on his trip over. "And the whole... trying out was sort of a last minute decision... it wasn't even my decision, really..." Gideon quickly caught on to Jace's nervous tone, and the welcoming smile quickly left his face.

"Who's the dick who convinced you to try out?" Gideon asked. "I mean, whoever they are, I'm pretty sure it's about time to cut ties with whoever that is. Their bright idea could have gotten you really hurt."

"It's not like that, Gideon. It wasn't someone's idea- I kind of... had to do it." Jace muttered.

"Okay, enough with this keeping me in the dark about why you tried out for football. Pussy-footing around telling me what's going on is making me really suspicious." Gideon groaned.

"I was there to look into Tajic's mind, okay!" Jace finally admitted, throwing his hand over his mouth and looking nervously to the door to the room, hoping he hadn't shouted too loud.

"Tajic? What in the world did you did you need out of _that_ guy's mind? I doubt he has anything that would concern you."

"...Izzet begs to differ." Jace corrected guiltily.

"I-Izzet? What do those nerds want with Tajic?" Gideon cocked an eyebrow curiously.

"It's more like what Tajic wanted from them, actually." Jace explained, nervousness clearly audible in his voice as he spoke. "Turns out he actually stole some steroid they were developing and plans to use it to gain an unfair advantage over the other teams and- he hasn't brought this up to you at all?"

Gideon looked back at Jace stunned before slowly shaking his head.

"Look, I know it sounds really farfetched, but you have to believe me here. I looked into his mind during tryouts, Gideon, and it was all there, clear as crystal. I really wish I had more concrete evidence here, but I can really only give you my word as someone who read those very thoughts from Tajic's brain."

"Why... are you even telling me this?"Gideon questioned, the shock on his face matching the shocked tone of his voice.

"Because I need your help, that's why!" Jace told him urgently. "Now I've been charged with the task of wiping Tajic's mind clean of the steroid he stole and if I don't there's no doubt that Niv-Mizzet is going to fry my brain into a bite-sized nugget or something. You're the only person I can confide in to draw Tajic out so I can get a clear shot at his mind. You and I both know that what he's doing is wrong so... For now I need you to forget about your place with Boros and come at this from the perspective of someone who probably doesn't appreciate cheating. I mean, look at it this way: You keep one of your fellow teammates from doing something highly illegal and I keep from getting my brain scooped out with a spoon to be fed to a damn dragon! See, everyone wins!" Gideon responded, first, with thoughtful silence and with each passing second, Jace grew more and more nervous.

"You know..." He began, a smile slowly creeping across his lips. "You talk really fast when you're nervous. It's almost impossible to understand you."

"Look, Gideon, now really isn't the time to be teasing me. Either you help me, or I make sure you forget all about this conversation and I go on to the next person. Time is kinda of the essence here."

"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help my friend out of a jam, huh?" Gideon laughed. "You're right in saying that what Tajic is doing is wrong, and it's sort of shameful that one of my own would do something like this- both in the case of a member of the football team and a member of Boros. What he's doing could get both the guild and the team in some serious shit, so it would pretty dumb of me not to help you." He slapped Jace firmly on the back, causing a fit of coughing from his friend. "I'm only offended you didn't come to me sooner. I could have had you avoid risking life and limb to get the information you've already gotten."

"Sorry..." Jace bowed his head apologetically. "I just needed to be 100% sure Tajic was guilty before I involved you." He admitted to himself that he hadn't simply decided not to involve Gideon because of lack of evidence- no, it was more due to a lack of thinking. The realization that he could have taken such an easy way out the first time was enough to leave a stinging sensation that hurt more than the pain in his foot.

"Well, what we need now is Tajic, right?" Gideon asked. "The football team is having a little welcome party for the new recruits, so that will be the easiest place to confront him about it-"

"No,no,no, Gideon, if you so much as mention the steroid, he's going to freak out and try running. I just need you to lure him someplace private and secluded. The last thing we want is him getting spooked. I know how you like doing things really offensively loud, but-"

"Hey!" Gideon shot back, taking offense.

"I'm just saying, we need to shoot for subtlety." Jace finished. "I need to know I can count on you. Neither of us can mess this up... especially me... seeing as getting my brain gobbled up by a dragon doesn't sound like a viable alternative here."

"You don't have to worry about a thing, I'm the king of subtle." Gideon proudly nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, just look at all your attempts to woo Chandra." Jace said under his breath, earning himself an elbow to the gut.

"Hey, I'm sticking my ass out to help you here, so could you please lay off the smart ass comments?"

"Sorry, that one kind of slipped out." Jace groaned, holding his stomach in pain.

"Well keep those to yourself." Gideon grumbled. "The football welcome party is tonight, so you better be there or I'm going to look like I'm trying to seduce Tajic, bringing him to a private place with something important to tell him. I've already been friend zoned by Chandra, I really don't want to accidentally be made into her gay best friend."

"I promise, no one is going to be mistaken for being gay here. I'll hold up my end of the bargain if you hold up yours." Jace held out his hand for Gideon to shake to seal the deal.

"Gods damn, if you weren't my friend, I'd shoot you down in a heartbeat." Gideon sighed in defeat, taking Jace's hand and firmly shaking it. "The next time I'm in a jam where I need someone's mind to be messed with, you'd better be there for me."

"Don't you worry, after this I'll be in your debt for a really long time."


	8. Whispers in the Dark

Jace sighed impatiently, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket. The football team's party was being held in the team's locker room, so he had no choice but to wait outside on the bleachers of the field. He had to wait until the party got completely underway to give Gideon the signal so that no one would notice him lure Tajic out from the festivities and out onto the field to talk. He didn't want to risk anyone noticing and following after them in curiosity. It all came down to a waiting game, and he was getting incredibly impatient.

He looked down at his cell phone, noting that the minutes were dragging by. The night was still incredibly young, and judging by the thoughts drifting from the locker room the party was still only just beginning. Not everyone had even arrived yet. He leaned back, taking a long, calming breath to try and focus as he concentrated on the minds drifting about the room just beyond the field. He desperately hoped that the party would go into full swing soon, or else he would be overwhelmed by the headache that was starting to build at the back of his skull. He'd been so nervous that entire day, he'd forgotten to pop into the infirmary to take his medication.

Bending uncomfortably backward and resting his head against the seat behind him, Jace happened to hear a metallic echo of someone else stepping onto the bleachers somewhere. Snapping up, he pulled his concentration away from the party and looked around the seats. The field itself wasn't lit, and he was sitting in almost total darkness, but there wasn't a sound to be heard aside from the passing wind and his own breathing. Still, he cautiously rose from his seat, peering out into the blackness.

"...Hello?" He called, getting no answer. Of course, if someone was creeping around the darkness- either the academy staff come to jump him for sneaking onto the field after hours or someone else trespassing like him- they wouldn't want to be found or draw attention to themselves. "...Someone there?" Again, no answer. He began to doubt he'd ever heard anything before he heard a faint whisper call out to him from the shadows. The voice was much too small for him to hear exactly what had been said- the words swept up by a passing breeze- but he knew someone had spoken. With caution he slowly stepped down from where he sat, reaching the bottom of the bleachers and looking over the railing onto he field. Again, no one.

"Gods, am I hearing voices now...?" He muttered to himself, rubbing his head that was starting to throb. He attempted to cast his mind back toward the party again, but just as he attempted to, the voice spoke again. This time, however, he could hear it clearly, like whoever was speaking was leaning in and whispering into his ear, the chilling wind that brushed by feeling like it's breath.

_Guildpact._

"H-Hey!" He spun in what he thought was the direction of the speaker, but no one was there. But he knew someone had said something. There was no way that he'd simply been hearing things. The voice had been too clear and too tangible to have been a figment of his aching mind. On edge now, he had no choice but to totally remove his snooping from the party and peer out into the darkness with his mind's eye.

Immediately his head split in agony, his headache rising to a blinding shock of pain that caused him to completely lose his balance and focus. The ground seemed to vanish from beneath him, up became down and left became right. And even though his mind had been swept up in excruciating pain, he could still read the thoughts of the stranger who had whispered to him in the darkness. They were overwhelming- nothing but endless torrents of emotion and deafening white noise. Anger pulsed in his veins, sorrow caused his body to feel heavy and madness clutched at his mind.

"NNG!" He groaned in pain, clutching his head and dropping to his knees. All the while, one, single, clear message repeated again and again in his mind, calling out to him.

_Guildpact._

_Guildpact._

_Guildpact!_

" _STOP_!" Jace shouted, and the moment he did, everything went quiet. The swell of emotions quieted, and his splitting headache died down to a dull, annoying pain. He was left on his knees, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to regain breath. Weakly looking up as he wiped his moistened brow, he caught a glimpse of someone or something shifting in the darkness and dashing away.

"H-Hey! Stop!" He shouted, uneasily rising to his feet before pursuing the stranger. Whoever they were, they weren't just a random passerby. They had felt him in his mind, and in turn had shown him something and spoke to him through his thoughts. And he couldn't shake the feeling it had all been familiar. "Hey, wait!"

That word... why did it feel like he'd heard it somewhere before?

_Guildpact._

* * *

"Liliana... Liliana? _Lili_?" Liliana raised her head, looking up at Emmara, who was peering over at her from across the table.

"Sorry, Emmara, I guess I was... spacing out." She muttered as a whistle from a teakettle pierced the silence that had filled the elven woman's kitchen. It wasn't uncommon for Liliana to drop by Emmara's apartment during all hours of the night, and at first it seemed to really bother her, but now she would normally greet her with a tired smile and tea. It had become something of a routine the two did for a while now.

"Finally getting tired? My couch is always open if you don't want to walk all the way back home." Emmara offered, standing and quickly making her way to the stove.

"No... well, yeah, but that isn't it." Liliana shook her head. "It's just... Jace."

"If you're worried about the trouble he has with Izzet, I'm sure he'll be fine. He has friends he can reach out to, and he's a sharp boy himself. He'll be fine." Emmara assured her with a chuckle as she began to pour the tea.

"No, it's not that, and you know it, Emmara." Liliana spoke in a serious tone, looking over her seat to throw a stone-cold look at her friend. She looked back at her in surprise before heaving a troubled sigh. "I feel like I need to tell him."

"Liliana..."

"I mean... I didn't mind keeping it from Gideon or Chandra. They were just school friends. Jace... Jace is different." Liliana continued. She hung her head, her long, black hair flowing over her shoulders. "I feel... _bad_ for keeping things from him."

"Is this why you dropped by tonight? I figured you'd simply had another nightmare." Emmara clicked her tongue and sat beside her, handing her a mug covered in multi-colored cat prints. She had an eclectic collection of mugs she'd collected over the years, and every night it seemed like she handed Liliana one she had never seen before. "If the fact you're keeping things from him is keeping you up at night, maybe you should tell him the truth. I mean, look at me. I know, and I'm still here."

"Yeah, but you sure do treat me differently. You treat me like I'm going to break at any second and force yourself to be happy around me. I know you do." Liliana groaned. "That and you're an elf. The effects of my condition, at least, are pretty common to people like you. Jace might..."

"How do you feel for Jace, anyway?" Emmara asked, a kind smile still on her lips as she spoke. "You talk about him like he's more than just a friend." She daintily closed her eyes, a victorious expression overcoming her soft, kind one as Liliana violently swerved around to fully meet her gaze with trembling lips and heated cheeks.

"Wh- don't go assuming things, Emmara. He's a friend, just like everyone else... He's just... Different." She unsuccessfully protested.

"Hm, different, is it?" Emmara chuckled. "Is that what humans call it these days?"

"I know what you're up to, Emmara." Liliana glared at her through the haze of steam rising from her cup of tea

"I have no idea what you're going on about, Lili." At least, that's what Emmara said. Her grin said otherwise.

"You're trying to play matchmaker."

"The boy adores you, Lili!"

"Yeah, but a lot of boys have 'adored' me. That didn't cause you to suddenly want to pair them off with me!"

"Yes, true, but Jace is..." Emmara paused, realizing what she was about to say before her and Liliana spoke in unison- Emmara in defeat and Liliana in annoyance.

"... _Different_."

"See what I mean?" Liliana groaned.

"W-Well, going back to why you came here in the first place, the only advice I have to give is for you to tell him." Emmara sighed. "I know you're worried about what he'll think, or what he might try to do. But worry about those things once he knows. That way you'll only have to worry about a few things and not several thousand things he could possibly think or do."

"Gods, you talk about it like it's so simple for me to say." Liliana groaned as she looked out the window she sat beside and out into the dark void of night. "It took me years to tell you- and I only managed to because you finally got suspicious and caught on."

"Well, would you rather tell him, or have him catch on, then?"

"Him catching on doesn't sound very promising..." Liliana muttered, leaning her head against the cool glass of the window. She could hear the wind howling from outside. A storm was brewing, from the looks of it. Clouds were covering the moon and stars, snuffing out any and all light. It was all very fitting for how she felt. "If he catches on, by then it will be too late."

* * *

Jace continued to chase after the shadow across the campus of the school. Every once in a while, he'd lose sight of them, whoever they were, but then he'd catch movement in the corner of his vision and he would hurl himself in that direction without hesitation. In the back of his mind, he knew what he was doing was foolish- running after some stranger who's thoughts were unlike any he'd ever read in the direction opposite of where he actually needed to be. At the very least, it would inconvenience him and throw a wrench in his plans to mind wipe Tajic, and at the very most, it was dangerous and whoever this stranger was, they could potentially harm him more than giving him a headache.

But still, he continued, letting whoever he was following lead him every which way until he arrived at the school building. He knew from what he'd been told that the school was very adamant about security. If he so much as tried to go near the doors with intentions of opening them without knowing a great deal about spells, security would be noted of his presence. Sighing in defeat through his nose, he began to turn away and head back to the field, but something peculiar caught his eye. The doors what would take a greater mage than he to go anywhere near were ajar, silently beckoning him into the facility. Jace nervously looked around, like maybe this was some sort of trap, but he couldn't see or hear anyone. The only thing he could hear was what finally drove him to head into the school: the whispering- the word that seemed to be walking the line between a word he'd never heard, and one he'd heard a million times.

_Guildpact._

"...Hello?" He called into the dark, silent main entrance. He poked his head through the door, but kept the rest of his body outside the building cautiously. No alarms had sounded just yet, but there was no harm in being careful. Getting no answer, as usual, he frowned suspiciously before slowly slinking into the building, one body part at a time, until he was completely passed the doorway.

"Whoever you are, you'd better cut this out." Jace spoke, trying to sound like he wasn't a little bit afraid of what was lurking in the dark around him. During the day, there was nothing about the main entrance that seemed at all creepy or off-putting. But at night, the place seemed oddly eerie, and it sent chills down Jace's spine. He walked into the very center of the room, looking every which way enough to make himself dizzy. "What in the hell is it you keep calling me? ...Guildpact?"

As soon as he spoke it, he heard it again. He heard it whispered from all directions, first by voices that all sounded similar, but grew vastly different, as if an entire crowd was saying it back to him. No, not just simply speaking it. They were crying it, shouting it, barking it and screaming it. They were voices of terror, anger, pain, anguish- none of them had a warming tone at all. Jace frantically spun around, trying to find the source of the voices. But, at least from looking around as quickly as he was, he couldn't see a single soul. He could only hear him as they grew louder and louder, as if accusing him of something.

"Stop..." Jace muttered, covering his ears. "Shut up!" The voices only grew louder in response, more threatening, more angry. "What is a guildpact!? Fucking tell me!"

The voices suddenly stopped in a jarring fashion, leaving Jace's ears ringing worse than after having listened to Gideon's speakers. The countless, angry voices were replaced immediately with silence, and then the soft fluttering of cloth. Jerkily, Jace turned in the direction of the noise, coming to find an older man standing behind him. He wore a flowing, blue cloak that blew in the wind seeping in through the open door and clothes that came from another time in history. He glared back at Jace with a look that almost stung, but the rest of his features were calm and relaxed. But what shocked Jace the most about the man was not that he'd suddenly appeared, but that he looked almost just like him, only aged a good, few years. He mouthed something- something Jace couldn't quite make out- before turning and fleeing down one of the dark corridors.

"...H-Hey!" Jace shouted, running clumsily after the man. "Wait a second, stop!"

Turning a corner, however, his pursuit was suddenly stopped as he ran headlong into someone turning the corner. Jace tumbled to the floor, but whoever it was he'd run into hardly even stumbled. Cursing to himself as he scrambled to his knees, Jace looked up to find he'd run into Sarkhan Vol, head of the disciplinary committee, of all people. They'd met before, when Jace had enrolled and met the dean, but now he noticed him and Niv Mizzet shared the same kind of eyes (although Sarkhan Vol didn't seem to have the same overwhelming presence as the Izzet guild leader).

"Goodness, it seems like you have somewhere to be." He chuckled darkly. "Certainly not anywhere in here, I hope. The school is off limits this time of night."

"S-sorry... I... I just..." Jace stammered, taking a moment from being terrified of punishment to peer around the disciplinary committee head's body. "Did anyone else pass by you?"

"Not unless they were incredibly good at sneaking around." Sarkhan looked to the door, then back to Jace, who was still trying to gather his words to plead innocence.

"I-I'm sorry, I just... I was following someone and... the door was open, I swear I didn't open it myself!"

"I trust you didn't. The only people who can open those doors are staff members and those given permission. Someone must simply have been careless and left it unlocked. Wind's incredibly strong tonight, so it must have been blown open." He paused, looking down at Jace and narrowing his eyes. "And who would I be for blaming a young man like yourself for being curious?" Something in his words was threatening, and it made Jace shiver as he stood to his feet.

Sarkhan Vol was an incredibly intimidating person. He had the build of someone who had rigorously trained themselves their entire life, and an aura of someone who had seen a lot more than Jace would be able to stomach. He had long, straight, black hair that made him seem like some sort of villain, and the facial hair to match. And even now, after hours, he still wore a suit. Even smiling, he seemed like he was trying hard to be terrifying.

"I wasn't... I was..." Jace began to protest.

"Yes, yes, I know, 'following someone'." Sarkhan rolled his eyes, as if he didn't believe Jace. "But whoever they were, they definitely aren't here, I promise you that."

"Oh..." Jace muttered. Had he been seeing things? Or had he seen...

"Well, you're still quite new here, so I'll let this disgusting disregard for the rules slide just this once." Sarkhan hissed through a smile that didn't fit his words in the slightest. "But, if I ever catch you here again, Mister Beleren, believe me when I say there will be consequences for your actions. So, the next time you happen to find the school doors open at night..." He reached out and rested his hand on Jace's shoulder before clutching it just a little too tight. "...You'll close them."

"Y-Yes sir!" Jace stammered, as he flinched under the older man's grip.

"Good. Now run along now before I change my mind." He grinned, letting Jace go, who was more than willing to start heading for the door.

"Oh, and one more thing, Mister Beleren." Sarkhan called out. Jace stopped in his tracks, peering over his shoulder. "You haven't aligned yourself with a guild yet, have you?"

"... No." Jace shook his head.

"Well, a mind like yours is sure to be scouted sooner or later, so allow me be the first to open the doors of the Infinite Consortium to you."

"...Infinite... Consortium? I don't really remember hearing about them." Jace furrowed his brow in confusion, thinking back to the names Chandra had listed. Infinite Consortium wasn't something he remembered hearing.

"Oh, well, it's a guild that hasn't gotten it's roots into the guild system just yet, but I really do suggest you spare us a thought." Sarkhan explained. "It's a guild designed to stand against the tyranny of all the other guilds running this school. It would be a great service to both us and you if you were to join our ranks."

"I'm... not really interested in joining any guilds, actually... sorry." Jace muttered. Something about the offer made him incredibly uneasy, as innocent as it all seemed.

"Well, it's still quite early in the year. You'll have time to decide if that's really how you feel." Sarkhan shrugged. "Just keep us in mind when you grow tired of your powers being exploited by the other guilds. We at the Infinate Consortium would _never_ exploit you."

"Right..." Jace spoke slowly. "I should probably get going."

"Yes, you should. I suggest you hurry on back to the dorms. It looks like a nasty storm is brewing outside." Jace nodded in response before rushing away, running out the doors and slamming them behind him. Sarkhan chuckled, calmly walking into the main entrance of the building, his footsteps echoing around him.

"That was a tad bit inconvenient. I could have sworn I locked that door." He sighed, turning back toward the darkness of the corridor. "I'm sorry for the interruption, Master Bolas."

"No need to apologize. I think we both have gotten our answer by Jace's little display." A rumbling voice answered from the shadows.

"It seems we did." Sarkhan nodded, looking back toward the door. "The moment we've been waiting for is closer at hand than we thought."

* * *

Gideon groaned, looking down at his cellphone yet again. He'd been tailing Tajic the entire party, and now things were starting to wind down. Jace had yet to text or call, despite the fact that he'd made everything sound so important and urgent. And now he was taking his sweet time and keeping Gideon from really enjoying the party.

"Come on, Jace, where are you?" He whispered

"Gideon?" Gideon jumped as someone addressed him. Ironically enough it was Tajic, eyeing him curiously. Gideon quickly straightened up and pocketed his phone.

"H-Hey, man!" He exclaimed a little too loudly, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

"I should be asking you the same question." Tajic spoke suspiciously. "You've been looking at your phone this entire time like you're worried about something. Did you and Chandra get in a fight?"

"N-No- and how do people keep on guessing that I like Chandra?!"

"You act like you're actively trying to hide it from people." Tajic chuckled before growing serious again. "But seriously, what's wrong? You're usually the life of the party."

"Sorry, man, I just... have a lot on my mind."

"Like...?" Tajic pried. Gideon paused thoughtfully, minding the cellphone in his pocket. Either he just went about things as usual and didn't act because Jace had vanished somehow, or he could give into the nagging in the back of his mind and confront Tajic about his wrong-doing himself. Surely he'd be much too taken aback by Gideon knowing what he'd done, he'd never even think to ask where he'd heard it. There was no way he could ignore his friend having done something so wrong, regardless of whether or not Jace would be there to back him up. It was now or never.

"...Could I, possibly, talk to you... in private?" Gideon asked. Tajic paused, looking back at him confusedly.

"In private?"

"Yeah, as in somewhere not public." Gideon grumbled impatiently. "I just... really need to talk to you somewhere where there aren't any people around." Tajic blinked once. Twice. Three times before answering.

"...You're not coming onto me, are you?"

"Oh sweet gods, _no_! Just... come with me, alright?"

"Oookay..." Tajic finally said, sounding doubtful of Gideon's fervent denial. Gideon glowered at him, heading in the direction of the hallway that led out to the field, checking over his shoulder to see if Tajic was following him. And then he prayed for some kind of miracle to happen that didn't involve rumors getting spread around school that he swung for the other team. It was hard enough to gain the affections of Chandra as is. It would be damn near impossible if he went from being friendzoned to gay-best-friend-zoned.

"So... what did you want to talk to me about?" Tajic finally asked once they arrived on the field after a good amount of silence. Gideon stood still, keeping his back facing his teammate and taking a deep, preparatory breath.

"Tajic... You..." He began, turning around to meet the gaze of his companion. "You haven't been-" He cut himself off once he realized that Tajic looked as if he were in some sort of trance and that Jace, who looked like he'd run from the other side of campus, was standing behind him, tendrils of blue light swirling in his eyes.

"Thank gods!" He sighed as he rushed over to catch Tajic's body that suddenly went limp.

"Gideon, what the hell!" Jace hissed, rubbing his head like he were nursing an awful headache. "I thought I told you to lure Tajic out here only when I gave the signal!"

"Well excuse me, I'm not the one who was taking his sweet time giving said signal! If I'd waited any longer, people would have noticed and followed us out!" Gideon groaned, lying Tajic on the grass. "I couldn't just ignore the fact Tajic has done something morally wrong. So I was going to confront him with or without your help."

"Well, it's a damn good thing I got here just now, or else we'd both be in deep trouble." Jace sighed exhaustively, flopping down onto the ground and sitting beside Tajic's unconscious body. Everything that had happened in the course of that night had worn him out. "Sorry... for taking so long."

"What happened? Where were you?" Gideon asked, taking a seat next to Jace.

"I was... distracted by something." Jace tried to explain.

"Something more distracting than getting your brain deep fried and eaten by a dragon?" Gideon asked sarcastically.

"I guess I really wasn't thinking, was I?" Jace mused as thunder clapped above them. "We should probably head indoors. I think it's going to rain."

"What about Tajic?"

"Drag him to shelter, but leave him there. He'll wake up thinking he partied way too hard and passed out." Jace explained. "He'll have no memory of you luring him away from the party, I promise."

"Oh he'd better not. He was starting to get really suspicious- and in the wrong kind of way!"

"Sorry for all the trouble." Jace apologized as he looked up at the sky as the first raindrops began to fall. He didn't want to show it, but he was incredibly uneasy and very confused. Not just because of the events that had transpired before he had gotten there, but because, closely entwined with the thoughts of having taken the steroid from Izzet, there was another train of thought that he couldn't break apart from it. It could only mean that one, little thought, was closely related to, if not the cause for Tajic taking Izzet property.

The Infinite Consortium.


	9. Looking for Answers

"I must say, I had my doubts, but I'm glad to see you've overcome them, Beleren." Jace suppressed a glower as he watched Niv-Mizzet chuckle. Today, he'd chosen a different meeting place: the library. It was odd to see the place so regularly visited by students to be totally void of life. And it was almost offensive to have the one place he and Liliana ever shared conversation other than the infirmary to be soiled by the dragon's presence. He sat upon one of the tables just beneath a beam of sunlight proudly, concentration focused on a thick, science-related text he held aloft. In fact he was surrounded by them, practically devouring them with his eyes as he flipped page after page in the space of seconds.

Jace had to admit, he despised the Izzet Guild leader, but his mental abilities were something to stand in awe in when looking at him objectively.

"You aren't going to spring another task on me, are you?" Jace asked, tone low and threatening. Niv-Mizzet laughed- a jubilant exclamation that echoed through the nearly-empty room occupied by nothing but books, him, Jace and Ral Zarek, who was reading himself, but hardly with the ferocity his higher-up was. He joined in with Niv, adding his own, mocking chuckle.

"Not at the moment, no, so you can relax... again, for the moment." Niv sneered. "I can't promise we won't be needing your powers again- or that anyone won't. There isn't a guild at this school who won't require the aid of a man who can read minds without detection and can wipe memories like they never even were there, without so much as a trace. You're a valuable item, Mister Beleren, And there isn't a man or beast on earth that can keep themselves from desiring anything of value."

Jace narrowed his eyes, unable to summon up anything else in response aside from a look of distaste towards the disguised dragon. Because, as much as he hated it, Niv-Mizzet was right. Had there been any other mind mage in the school, he wouldn't have to worry. But he was the only one. The only one who could reach into the minds of strangers and learn their deepest, darkest secrets. The only one who could implant false memories that were more real than the owners own recollections. The only one who could convince someone to either make a decision or refute it with nothing but a quick glance. The only one the guilds could turn to- or rather force- to do those things for them. Niv-Mizzet's little errand had only been the beginning, and the sinking feeling in Jace's gut made him realize it was true.

"Now... Is there anything else you wish to share?" Niv-Mizzet asked, setting down yet another finished book and immediately reaching for another one. "Was there anything in Tajic's mind that stood out aside from what you erased that would concern me- Concern Izzet?" Jace thought a moment, considering not saying anything. But maybe, as a guild leader, Niv-Mizzet might, at least, be able to shed some light on what he'd read in Tajic's mind.

"...There was something... unrelated to the steroid, but linked to the thought close enough where I had no choice but to remove it." He began hesitantly. "...The Infinite Consortium."

Niv loudly closed the heavy, leather-bound book, sending a shock-wave through the room as well as a shiver up Jace's spine. The dragon was clearly bothered by the very mention of the fledgling guild, and glared back at Jace with a gaze that would bring a lesser man to his knees. 

"And you would do well to put that out of your mind." He said in a low growl.

"But... why?"

"It's guild business. It's a mystery to me why it was so closely related to Tajic's discrepancy, but it should be none of your concern as an unaligned nobody. Outside this room, this 'Infinite Consortium" does not exist. It is a matter that should remain within the guilds and not a piece of idle gossip within this school. Do I make myself clear, Jace?"

"I-"

" _Do I make myself clear?"_ Embers seemed to glow within Niv-Mizzet's eyes. Jace gulped, feeling the room grow warmer. He stiffly nodded several times, to which the dragon chuckled, reopening his book.

"Good, then we have nothing more to discuss." He said, a victorious grin on his face as he returned to rapidly turning pages. "See Mister Beleren out, Ral." Immediately, Niv's right-hand-man appeared beside Jace, already starting to herd him toward the door. He shuffled away, looking back at the guild leader who had turned his full attention back to his book. At that moment, Jace Beleren didn't exist, and would only exist again once he was of use to either him or his guild.

"Curious..." Niv mused once Jace has been shewed out. Ral looked back to him, raising an eyebrow as his leader continued to read without pause.

"...What is curious, sir?"

"Tajic wasn't at the meeting concerning the new guild being put together, was he?"

"No, sir, he wasn't. He isn't high up enough in the ranks of Boros to even be aware of it's conception." Ral shook his head.

"Then what, pray tell, was our friend Tajic doing with the Infinite Consortium on the brain? And so closely related to the steroid that, may I remind you, they helped fund the creation of behind closed doors." Niv-Mizzet's voice grew more and more harsh with each passing word. "Either Jace messed up somewhere and Tajic simply knows more about the news regarding this new guild than we thought, or we were set up. We were given the funds to create a steroid by another guild- and albeit they aren't officially apart of the roster, it's still against the rules for one guild to fund another- and that guild in turn, gave Tajic the order to take it."

"But why would they even do that? They'd only be succeeding in making enemies with the guilds before they even became officially one of us- that would be insane." Ral pointed out. "That would practically be... suicide."

"Exactly, and that is why this baffles me so." Niv-Mizzet sighed, placing the now finished book beside him. "The guild was set up by none other than Sarkhan Vol, this school's rule-maker. Would he really be behind something that stretches the rules to such a degree? If the Infinite Consortium truly is behind all this, and this has all just been one, big set up, then he'd be working directly against the rules he and Dean Markov put into place. There is no motive- at least no sane one- or any reason at all for Mister Vol to want to do such a thing."

"Not unless we're looking at all this the wrong way." Ral Zarek mentioned. "Maybe it has nothing to do with Sarkhan Vol, or us, or the infinite Consortium. Maybe it has to do with someone or something we aren't considering."

"How very observant of you, Ral." Niv smirked, picking up yet another book. "Then I task you to use this upcoming holiday weekend with trying to narrow down what that thing or person might be."

"M-Me? What about you? Shouldn't this concern you a little more?" Ral argued. "I've already made plans-"

"Then unmake them. Simple as that." Niv shrugged, opening the volume as he began to flip through it. "I have business of my own that I cannot simply remove myself from. Dragon business- very important."

"Bullshit!" Ral spat before Niv looked up at him, eyes glowing angrily as a growl that echoed all throughout the room escaped his lips.

"You are nothing but a pawn of mine, Ral, no matter your rank in Izzet. And, being such, you will move where and when I tell you. Your mind is one with this guild, as is everyone else's. It's designed so we all know what I need you to know, but it's also there to keep you in your place. Should I desire it, I can cause your brain functions controlling your heart to stop functioning, and have you die in your sleep." Niv-Mizzet threatened. "You, who so willingly handed your brain over to me- to this guild- should serve it knowing that if you don't, you're risking a lot more than just inconveniencing me."

"...My apologies... sir." Ral Muttered, a nervous sweat forming on his brow. "But... why are you telling me this? Over something so inadequate and minor, I don't think-"

"That's the thing, Ral, we've had this conversation many times. But, like I said, just how having your mind within my mental web will allow you and everyone else to be aware of all the things I need you to be, you can also be made _unaware._ And when you leave this library, you'll be made unaware again. But you'll remember fear, and you'll remember you have a task where that fear is stemming from, and I know for a fact you'll get right to it."

Ral Zarek starred at the fearsome guild leader with a look that was a mixture of terror and fury. If Niv-Mizzet had been a lesser beast- had his human form matched what he really was- he would have called down lightening and burned the terror of a creature to ashes. But he was a monster even he couldn't even fathom the thought of standing against. He could easily gobble him up or light his entire body on fire with a single breath, just like in myths of old. Or, it seemed, he could destroy his mind.

"If that's the case, and I'll forget everything once I leave here, tell me about this damn business that's so fucking important!" He spat.

"Hmm, very well. I, and the rest of my dwindling kin, are to meet with the oldest, most powerful dragon on this world. His name is only known by other dragons, and even then, we dare only whisper it. He's rumored to have seen this world fall to ruin and be built back up to the glory you now see. He has seen magics that have been lost to this world and it's people and as such we respect and fear him." Niv-Mizzet verbosely explained. "His name is Nicol Bolas, and he has something very important to share with my kind."

* * *

Jace furiously rubbed his eyes, looking over yet another history book. He'd only been looking through the history section of the library for two days since the beginning of the school's holiday weekend, and he swore the lighting combined with the tiny print in each book (that seemed to grow smaller and smaller the older the books were) was making his vision worse. Standing beside the shelf he had visited many times those past few days, he began to impatiently flip through the pages, trying to locate what he was looking for.

"Guildpact..." He muttered. That one, single word had become the bane of his existence almost. He had no idea why in the world he'd decided to start in history, but he figured the word had ties to something that happened in the past, judging by what he could only describe as that haunting that had gone down the night he mind-wiped Tajic.

Sadly, even after all his searching, he'd come up a lot shorter than he'd hoped. The only mention of "guildpact" he'd come across was in one of the few books about the history of the academy (which, apparently, came highly recommended when he inquired about history books and said he wasn't looking for anything too specific). Apparently it referred to the set of rules put in place for and followed by the guilds to maintain order. It made sense, but it really wasn't all that satisfying an answer. Something told him the word was a lot more than just a code of conduct for the school's guild members. It had carried a lot more weight when he had heard it.

Paying his tiring legs a little mind, he took the book he was leafing through along with a few others, and headed back to the main chamber of the library where he could find seating- and plenty of it. The library was completely empty, devoid of all life but himself. Everyone else seemed to have taken advantage of the long weekend and had gone home- either to reclaim items they had left behind (which Gideon said was his case, something about having left a very important part of his speakers at home. Chandra cleared things up, saying he was probably just homesick, and didn't want to say so) or to escape being on campus. Jace however, had things he needed to look into- that and his own, personal reasons. Home wasn't exactly a very viable option of places for him to go to.

Jace sat down at one of the round tables and chose from one of the books in his small stack. It was a history of Ravnica, the small city that the academy found itself, but the book itself was rather thin and didn't look like it would yield any new information. Still, he didn't want to take any chances and potentially miss something, so with a shrug he began to flip through. It looked like a research book for middle-schoolers. Jace immediately regretted his choice.

"Reading, even on break. How very studious." Someone commented mockingly, drawing Jace from his reading. He gasped, looking up to see a girl he'd never seen before looming over him, nothing short of a sly smile on her face. Her choice of clothes was nothing but an endless sea of leather, chains and other accessories that made her look like she was either there to beat him up or take something of value from him. Or both. Half her head was shaved, while the rest of her hair was tossed to one side and dyed an unnatural shade of red. She had enough piercings to make Jace uncomfortable- a feat he never figured anyone would be able to reach

"...Um..." Jace began, not exactly sure what to say to the girl. In response she pulled away, looking like she was about to laugh.

"Not much a conversationalist, are you?"

"Who _are_ you?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" She laughed, not seeming at all as awkward as Jace felt. "The name's Baltrice. No need to tell me your name, though, I already know who you are." She reached out, resting her hand on the back of his chair and leaning on it. The furniture piece creaked and groaned under the strain.

"From _where_?" Jace asked, leaning away a bit. She smelled like smoke, like she'd been through a couple packs of cigarettes just that morning or had taken a walk through a forest fire.

"From Sarkhan Vol, of course. He's already approached you, and I know you made him very well aware you weren't all that interested, but as a simple, humble member of the Infinite Consortium, I thought I'd do my duty in trying to persuade you otherwise."

"Oh, so you're one of them, huh?" He asked her, cocking an eyebrow curiously.

"You speak of us as if we're not to be trusted." Baltrice observed coldly.

"Well you and all the other guilds." He retorted.

"Jace, Jace, Jace, we're nothing like the rest of the rest of the guilds at this school, I assure you." Baltrice shook her head, leaning in even closer. The smell of smoke that lingered around her almost seemed to sap the air from around them, making it difficult for Jace to breath. "What would I, or any of us, have to do to convince you of that?"

"Explain what you had to do with what happened between the Izzet guild and Tajic, of Boros." Jace said almost immediately.

"My, seems like you've been sitting on that one for a very long time. Just waiting to jump at the chance to ask about that, hmm?" Baltrice smirked.

"Your guild was present in Tajics mind in the same place where his memories of stealing a powerful steroid from Izzet were. I can only assume it was because you had something to do with it."

"Just stirring up a little trouble within the guild system, is all. We give Izzet funds to create a steroid, we give Tajic, of Boros, means and reason to take it- both of which are acts that are frowned upon in the guild system." Baltrice practically mused. "Had you not stepped in and handled everything for them, it would have stirred things up quite a bit."

"How, exactly, is that supposed to persuade me?"

"Because I'm being honest with you, Jace. I'm sure you asked that grumpy dragon Niv-Mizzet about what we had to do with this, and I'm sure he turned you down. The guilds shroud themselves in mystery and falsehoods. We, or the Infinite Consortium would _never_ lie to you."

"Is that so?" Jace asked, sounding doubtful. "So why are you trying to stir something up between Boros and Izzet."

"Well, really, we could have chosen anyone, but we just wanted either guild to get into trouble with the staff. Should they be forced to halt activities, that will be one less guild to compete against." Baltrice told him, a toothy grin spread across her lips.

"What do you mean 'compete against'...?" Jace questioned, but before Baltrice could answer, to doors to the library swung open and a third person joined them. Baltrice pulled away from Jace's chair, looking up with him the greet whoever it was who had entered.

"Why if it isn't Miss Vess!" Baltrice greeted Liliana, sounding oddly sharp. Her half smile/ half smirk was still on, but she narrowed her eyes, like she had simply insulted her with her presence. Liliana returned the gesture, stopping in her tracks unable to decide if she wanted to continue approaching them, or leave the room.

"Ah, Liliana!" Jace smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "You're here, too?"

"Seems we all have nowhere better to be." Liliana sighed as Baltrice began to take her leave, roughly nudging Liliana with her shoulder as she passed her, causing her to nearly lose her balance. Both of them threw angry glances over their shoulders at one another, but said nothing.

"So, what did _she_ want?" Liliana asked, sounding miffed. "Did she come here trying to hit on you?"

"Wh-What- no!" Jace shook his head. "No, nothing like that at all!"

"Wow, you sure are putting a lot of energy into denying that." She laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure she didn't come here to do anything of the sort. Everyone knows she's into older men anyway."

"She what?"

"Yeah, apparently she had this crazy fling with Mr. Rakdos- the physical education teacher- and almost got him fired last year. I wasn't apart of any involved social circles and no one was talking to me about it at the time, so I can't really give any juicy details other than he wasn't fired and she was hardly punished." Liliana went on to explain, throwing the shoulder bag she had on her over a chair and sitting beside Jace.

"Really..." Jace mumbled as he looked up in the direction Baltrice had vanished.

"So, what did she want if not to flirt shamelessly with you?"

"O-oh... Just guild stuff. Nothing all that important."

* * *

"I knew I'd find you here." Baltrice smirked as she poked her head into the metal-working classroom. The walls were lined with different stations, each equipped with an air filter and blow torch. The air of the classroom permanently smelled of sulfur, dust and cigarette smoke, the later being because of the shop teacher's habit of smoking in the classroom. He'd been a teacher there for several years, and was a war veteran on top of that. No one was going to tell him no. Not Baltrice anyway. Her lips that were usually perpetually frowning or smirking were drawn up into a smile to greet that very man who was, as always, smoking. "Tezzeret."

For a girl who dressed like she was tougher than most boys who attended the school, her voice saying his name was incredibly warm, and it was enough to make Tezzeret raise his head. He clicked his tongue, took a long, healthy drag of his cigarette and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air as she waltzed into the room.

"Isn't it a holiday?" He asked her gruffly. "I figured you'd be more than glad to get out of this place."

"You _know_ there's nowhere for me to go, right?" She explained, "I'd rather be here."

"Sorry, I forgot..." He sighed, puffs of smoke exiting his lips with each word.

"What about you, huh? Why are _you_ here, old man?" She addressed him teasingly.

"I've got nothing better to do- same as you." Tezzeret shrugged, reaching up and plucking his cigarette from his lips with his one, organic hand. The other, a twisted, metallic form meant to replace the one he'd lost in combat, was made of etherium, a rare element only artificers like him could make use of and shape. It was workable and moved just like any regular hand, but he preferred not using it.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm here on Consortium business." Baltrice corrected in a huff.

"Really? What did Bolas ask you to do this time?" He asked, practically spitting the dragon's name. He had a lot to thank the beast for- now, and in the future- but that didn't take away from the fact that, from an outsider's perspective, Nicol Bolas was a monster through and through. It was simply for safety's sake that he'd chosen to take the creature up on his offer and work below him.

"Just plant some seeds in Beleren's mind, that's all. I finished up the job, so I figured I'd come find you." She explained, taking a seat next to him on the table he was sitting on. She swung her feet back and fourth a couple of times in an uncharacteristically cute manner. She only acted this way around him, and it made him wonder what her real personality even was.

"I hope he knows what he's having us do. We're not allowed to directly influence the boy until the maze has been unsealed." Tezzeret grumbled, placing his cigarette back between his lips.

"Don't worry, what I said wasn't pushing things. We won't have Mr. Markov breathing down our necks any time soon." Baltrice assured him, digging through the pockets of her baggy pants before pulling out a crumbled soft pack of her own cigarettes.

"You know, you're way too young to be smoking." Tezzeret scolded, doing nothing to stop her as she reached in and pulled out a single cigarette with her mouth.

"And you're not allowed to be smoking indoors, and especially in here." Baltrice fired back, her words muffled as she concentrated on keeping her cigarette between her lips. She looked around on her person for a few, unsuccessful seconds before she sighed.

"Hey, let me borrow a light." She told him.

"You're a pyromancer, Baltrice, what in the world could you possibly need a lighter f-" Before Tezzeret could finish, Baltrice leaned in, lightly pressing the tip of her cigarette still clenched between her lips against his, inhaling and using his already-lit cigarette to light her own. She leaned back once she'd gotten a good enough light, took a drag and blew smoke through her nose, a proud smile on her face. Tezzeret looked away, not wanting the young girl to see the fact she'd made him blush.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She chuckled. "I've always wanted to try that."

"...Just don't do it again." Tezzeret mumbled.

"Not without permission." Baltrice added with a smile, taking a long drag and exhaling a puff of smoke into the air. "If you want me to do that, or anything for that matter, all you need to do is ask me."

* * *

Jace and Liliana stood at the doorway of the library that led outside. Through the glass door, they could see a wall of water falling from the sky, coating the windows and warping the images of the rain-drenched world outside. Clouds had been hanging low all morning, brushing the tops of buildings, and it had been only a matter of time before it did, eventually, rain, but neither of them were expecting such a torrent. Evidence of that was made by the fact neither of them had an umbrella.

"My apartment's all the way on the other side of the campus!" Liliana cursed. "By the time I get back, I'll be soaked to the bone!"

"You don't live in the dorms?" Jace questioned. She chuckled in response, like his question had amused her.

"Jace, if most of the school thought you were lower than dirt, would you really subject yourself to living with the whole lot of them?" She asked. He looked back at her apologetically, not sure what words to dredge up in response. "No, I live in an apartment complex nearby that I could afford. It's the same one Emmara lives at, so at the very least I'm not lonely..."

Jace looked back out into the pouring rain, his heart racing. His mind had prepared words, and in the course of their short conversation he'd probably gone over them dozens of times. It was a simple suggestion, but the thought of being turned down and looking like a creep. But, as Liliana went to open the door, he suddenly found worlds of motivation to speak.

"Liliana, wait!" He urged just a little too loudly. She paused, looking back at him. "...The dorms I live at are pretty close to here. If you want, we can wait out the storm there. I mean... hardly anyone is there, and I'm sure what little people there are left there are out this time of day, so..." Maybe the comment that they would most likely be alone wasn't such a good idea. "I mean... there would be no one there to harass you."

Liliana turned back outside thoughtfully. She was probably weighing her options, Jace figured, between running home through the storm and being trapped in a nearly-empty dormitory with him. The fact it was taking her so long to decide was what was killing him.

"A-And... it's really dangerous to walk around in this kind of weather." He added, suddenly growing serious. "I... know from experience."

"Ha, it's cute that you worry about me. _Someone_ has to." She chuckled, reaching out and playfully ruffling his hair. Jace was more than happy to let her. "And fine, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stay at your place until the rain stops. But only until then, okay?"

"S-sure! Yeah!" Jace nodded, putting every inch of energy into trying desperately not to look overexcited. "I mean yeah, sure... that's cool." Liliana snorted, going back to opening the library door.

"Get ready to run then. The less time we spend getting drenched, the better."


	10. Memories and Rain

The dorms might as well have been abandoned. From the lobby to the stairwell to the corridor leading to Jace's dorm room, neither him or Liliana had caught sight of anyone. Jace, at least, figured they would have to duck around corners or hide to avoid at least one person, but it seemed like even the staff who monitored the building were even gone. It seemed as if it were just him and Liliana in the dormitory building together. No one to interrupt them. No one to hear them.

He shook his head vigorously to keep from having his thoughts grow any more lewd and went back to searching for towels in the small bathroom attached to the room. The last thing he wanted was to take advantage of her, especially since he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Out of habit he cast his mind into the other room, but it might as well have been uninhabited by how quiet it was. For once, the silence he got from Liliana's mind was worrisome instead of attractive. He had no idea if inviting her up to his deserted dorm room alone was making her suspicious.

"So this is Gideon's infamous sound system?" She called from the room. "I've only ever heard about it... or heard it. Across the campus."

"Yeah, it's his pride and joy." Jace chuckled as he joined her, handing her a towel. Her clothes were absolutely soaked, like his, and were clinging tight to her body. He hadn't taken the time to turn on the lights in the room, and the light from the windows only provided a dim glow, but he could just make out the outline of her bra underneath her wet clothes. Nervously, he turned to the speakers, trying to calm himself down. "He stands right about here and just turns it on full blast. I'm amazed it doesn't do anything to his ears."

"He just likes the rush of being surrounded by noise. It's his really unsubtle way of blocking out the rest of the world. You know he's had a bad day when he does it... of course, when we were still friends, he did us all a favor and just wore noise-canceling headphones." Liliana took the towel Jace offered and draped it over her shoulders. "The fact he needs a sound system that's probably against the rules to even keep must mean he's gotten a lot worse."

"Man, listening to you talk about them makes me realize I really hardly know Chandra or Gideon." Jace shook his head in defeat. "It's nice though: that you remember everything about them like you do, even though you're not speaking. I'll never really have that. Everyone who could possibly remember me either thinks I'm a freak or has been forced to forget. I guess that's what I get for thinking I could live my life like a regular human. Where I stood I had everything to lose if anyone ever found out, even my parents."

"Jace..." Liliana began, her voice brimming with emotion. Jace sharply inhaled, trying to shake whatever negative thoughts had clung to him like a thick stink.

"A-Anyway, you should probably change out of those wet clothes. We can use the laundry room downstairs to dry them!" He told her a little too enthusiastically as he began to search through his dresser for something for her to wear.

"Jace, I-"

"Here, this should do for now." He interrupted her, tossing her a pair of boxer shorts and a jersey he'd hung onto. She caught them clumsily, looking a little miffed he wasn't letting her speak. She sighed through her nose, tucking the boxers under her arm and unfolding the jersey.

"Did you play sports back in norm school?" She asked, holding the jersey aloft.

"No, one of my friends was on the lacrosse team. I kind of held onto that as a keepsake." Jace explained, searching for clothes for himself to wear. He'd been so distracted by trying not to stare at Liliana's wet form and keeping her from digging deep into wounds he still wanted to heal he'd completely forgotten he was just as soaked as her.

"Did he give it to you when you were transferred?" She asked. Jace paused, taking in a long, soothing breath as he tightly closed his eyes.

"...More or less..."

"Rhoka..." Liliana read aloud as the ran her fingers over the rubbery print on the back of the jersey.

"Yeah, that was his name... Kallist Rhoka." Jace said, his shoulders slumping.

"You're... using the past tense." Liliana noted, furrowing her brow in worry. Jace didn't look back at her, only remained hunched over the drawer, staying perfectly still. "Jace... what happened at your old school?"

"Nothing!" Jace snapped, causing Liliana to jump and back away a bit. "...Nothing. Nothing happened..."

"Jace-"

"You should probably change out of those wet clothes before you catch a cold." Jace interrupted, his tone low and dark as he stood after grabbing a few random pieces of clothing for himself. "You can change in here. I'll give you some privacy." He briefly met her eyes, and he could tell she wanted to pry. She wanted desperately to know what had happened, but held herself back. Her eyes pitied him, although she hadn't the slightest idea what for. He turned sharply away from her and walked back to the bathroom, closing the door before weakly leaning against it and sliding down to the floor.

It was only a jersey- it was only a name. But it dredged up a lot more than Liliana or anyone would ever know.

He sat in silence, listening to the sound or rain pattering against the window outside and the sensual sound of Liliana changing just beyond the bathroom door. If he were bolder, and didn't have as loud a conscience as he did, he could have stolen a look. Instead he closed his eyes, trying to bury memories that had begun to resurface despite his best efforts.

" _Kallist! Kallist! Shit, Kallist!"_

"Jace?" Jace gasped, hearing someone softly and cautiously call his name. His head snapped up and he looked to the door.

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm done changing." It was Liliana, and by the sound of it she was right there at the door. "Are you okay in there? You've been in there for a while."

"I-I'm fine!" Jace stammered, standing up quickly and nearly falling over as he began to frantically change. Had he really been in there that long? "I'll be right out!"

"Okay..." Liliana answered, sounding both worried and doubtful.

It only took Jace a few, clumsy seconds to change into dry cloths and practically barrel through the bathroom door. Liliana was there waiting for him, practically draped in the jersey he'd given her. It drifted just past the bottom of the boxers, giving the illusion she wasn't wearing anything below the jersey at all. Her long, slender legs were completely visible passed the jersey's hem, and she'd somehow managed to find a hair tie and had pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail. For a brief moment all of Jace's anxieties and worries were chased away by his inner struggle not to stare.

"Jeeze, took you long enough." She joked, wiping the worried look from her face to grin. "What, did you take a nap in there?"

"No I..." Jace paused. "I... was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Liliana dared to ask. Jace bit his lip. There were so many responses he could possibly use to that question. It hurt just thinking about them- to even consider speaking them. He wished he could wipe his own mind of it all, but he was too much a coward to touch his own thoughts and wipe away the memories that were treasured as much as they were painful. He wished he had the courage to forget.

"Nothing important" He shrugged. "Just some stuff that happened a while ago." He looked to the wet clothes she held in her arms and nodded towards them.

"Let's take those to the laundry room so you don't have to walk around in my boxers for longer than you need to." He forced a chuckle, heading for the door. He half expected Liliana to say something- to continue to pry- but instead she simply followed quietly behind. The silence was welcomed as much as it was worrisome. He refused to look back at her as the two of them headed down the corridor and to the stairwell.

Could she sense it, he wondered, as they walked down to the basement of the dormitory, the anxiety drifting off of him? Could she tell there was something he was holding back with a white knuckled grip? It was that damn jersey, once he dug it up from his other effects, he'd also uncovered memories he'd been trying to keep deep down. And now it was hanging loosely off the form of the girl he wasn't even sure how he felt about, silently reminding him, cruelly reminding him...

"...Jace." Liliana's voice cut through the silence occupied by their footsteps and the sound of rain. He stopped, noticing she had paused as well, and looked over his shoulder, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and hold back any sort of telling emotion.

"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you... about what Niv-Mizzet said in the infirmary." Jace knew exactly to what she was referring. The one, single time he'd shown that there was anything in his past worth covering up and regretting. When his anger and sadness and frustration caused him to stand up to the creature who could easily terrify him on normal occasions. It was only a matter of time before someone brought that up. "About mind-wiping... If it's a story you'd rather not share..."

Jace considered taking up her small offer to not tell her. It seemed incredibly tempting just to shrug it off and tell her that, yes, he didn't want to share it. But she looked back at him with a look that no one had spared him when the memory was a moment that was unfolding before his eyes. She was worried for him, and curious about him. What was the point of keeping things from her, a girl who, like him, was a monster in her own right, as far as the rest of the non-magic world was concerned? A voice in his head whispered for him to tell her.

"...If I tell you, could you share something with me?" He asked. Much to his surprise, she looked back him for a split second in what could only be described as fear. Wide eyes, and a mouth half open, urging him not to, but they were hidden away before he had a chance to point them out. "It's about what happened between you and Chandra's brother last year. I've heard every side of the story but yours, and up until now I've been holding myself back from asking. If I tell you what landed me here, could you tell me what happened?"

"O-Of course." She nodded, the relief in her eyes bothering Jace more than it should have.

"Let's continue this in the laundry room. It's a pretty long story." He told her, continuing to lead her around the winding corridors of the basement until they arrived at their destination. It was a small, unfinished room with concrete floor and walls, pipes and boards exposed on the ceiling. There were only two of both the washer and dryer, and on a regular day there would have been a line to wash or dry clothes. With the lack of students currently in the dormitory, however, the laundry room was deserted, just like everywhere else.

"Jace, if you don't want to talk about it, it's really okay." Liliana said as he opened up the dryer for her. "You don't have to..."

"No, it's fine. I need to get this all off my chest before I explode." Jace shrugged, shutting the door of the dryer and feeling the machine a token he had on his person once he'd turned all the nobs in the right spots, starting it. The loud rumble filled the entire room, forcing them both to raise their voices just a little. Jace pulled himself on top of the shaking machine and Liliana mimicked him, sitting atop the machine opposite.

"Well, we can't be having that..." Liliana sighed.

"Before I came here, no one had any memory of my being a mage. Not my friends, or my teachers- not even my parents. My powers were an anomaly, and I had no idea where they came from, but I more or less taught myself, starting with the ability to wipe the minds of people. I didn't want anyone finding out, and didn't want to be sent away. I grew up watching my friends and teachers be shipped away to places like these when they were found out- uprooted from their place of comfort simply for being attune to mana. I didn't want that, so I trained myself to make sure anyone who found out would forget." Jace began. "I even mind-wiped my own parents. They were the first to find out about my powers, and they were the ones who I had to make forget the most.

"But there was one person who's mind I couldn't touch- who I could trust with the truth. He was my best friend, and the only thing anchoring me to the normal, non-magic world that kept me from giving up and letting myself be taken away. His name was Kallist, and he thought my powers were interesting instead of frightening like everyone else. He was the only person I could really open up around. He was, truly, the only person who knew the real me. He was the only thing keeping me sane."

"What happened to him?" Liliana dared to ask. Jace felt his heart sink as he considered her question as the reminiscing smile he had unknowingly been wearing transformed slowly into a frown. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"No, don't apologize. I would have had to get to this part in the story anyway." Jace shrugged weakly. "Kallist... is dead. It was a rainy night, like today, and we had been out celebrating the lacrosse team's most recent victory. Neither of us knew it was the last time we'd ever speak to one another, or that we'd never see one another after that, so we didn't really do anything meaningful or say anything to each other I can really remember. The only thing about that night that stands out in my mind was..." Jace looked down at his hands, clenching and un-clenching them. "That moment... those terrifying, helpless seconds. Kallist was laughing at something I said, and stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street just as a drunk driver swerved in our direction. Had he not pushed me out of the way, it would have been both of us struck by that car... instead I came to to find myself alone.

"I honestly thought everyone was joking and over-reacting when they told me he'd died It didn't really, truly hit me until his funeral. It was a closed-casket affair, so didn't even get to see his face one last time. It's the most painful feeling to be able to read minds and to know that, no matter how far into your friend's mind you reach, you'll never hear their thoughts again. Kallist's thoughts were always so loud, almost overwhelming, but that day, when I looked down at that box covered in flowers, there was nothing. There was nothing to feel. He was... an inanimate object without a single, telling thought. Just... gone."

"What... happened after that?" Liliana asked hesitantly.

"I sort of locked myself away for a while, every once in a while casting my mind out towards the places Kallist used to be, hoping and wishing that I'd simply been dreaming and I'd hear his thoughts. All I ever found were other people, strangers mourning him and missing him and reminding me that Kallist was no longer around. It was as if everyone in the world existed only to remind me of that fact. I started using my magic a lot more liberally, hoping I'd be caught and sent away. It just goes to show how alone I was without Kallist, because no one caught on. I was trapped in a world where people looked at me and thought about _him._ They all thought about him, even if they never mentioned him.

"It was near the end of the year when I was finally discovered. The man who had struck Kallist with his car had been taken to court for the death of their son, but he'd been let off with nothing but bills he had to pay and a license he could no longer use. That wasn't punishment enough, everyone thought so, especially me. So I found him, conjured up every illusion and spell to scare him half to death, cornered him, and tore apart his mind. I wasn't going to anything specific, I just reached in and tore everything apart. I've never been so angry, or have used my powers to do someone harm like that. I even made sure he felt me reach into his thoughts and crush every precious memory and thought in his head. I left him nothing but a drooling, shaking husk.

"I never really checked for surveillance where I finally got my revenge on the man who took away the only person in my life who knew the real me, so of course, naturally, everything I did to him was caught on tape. There had even been witnesses. It became a gigantic deal, and I was considered horribly dangerous. They weren't even taking the option to send me here or any other school for magic-folk- they wanted to send me to prison. Had Mister Markov not stepped in, I would be behind bars right now. But I left behind a world where everyone feared and hated me- even my parents. Someone who can hear every thought in your head and uncover every secret you've ever kept should be feared, though. Someone who can turn you into a vegetable in a matter of seconds should be hated. And the only person who could have convinced them all otherwise- who knew and didn't fear my powers- was dead."

Jace paused, noticing his vision had blurred. The sensation of something splashing against his tightly clench fists brought him around, and he came to realize he'd been crying. Grunting angrily at himself, he furiously wiped at his eyes, trying to rub the tears away. Again he was forced to remember that, where he came from, he was nobody's friend. He was nobody's son. Jace Beleren, the mind mage, was nobody the the world outside Ravnica Academy. He might as well have simply died that day with Kallist. Maybe that was the story his parents and friends were telling to explain what had happened to him. To them, he was better off dead.

"I had every intention of keeping myself locked away in this school. I didn't want to make any friends, or get to know anyone. I intended to live out my life here as if I'd been given a prison sentence. And... in a way, I was scared to befriend anyone else. My closest, deepest friendship had been taken from me so easily... I didn't want to live through all that again."

"Jace..."

"But then I met you, and Emmara. I met Gideon and Chandra- people who accepted me regardless of who or what I was, without a second thought. People like you, who looked at me and just saw some socially awkward dork who can't even introduce himself right instead of some dangerous, mind-destroying monster. I realized how much I missed that. I'd lost the only person who knew about my powers and didn't care, and suddenly I was surrounded by those people. I realized how lonely I was, and I realized how much I hated it. Kallist... he wouldn't want me to live my life in seclusion like I had planned.

"So I opened up... and honestly I'm really glad I did. I'm glad I met Gideon and Chandra and Emmara. And I'm glad I met you, Liliana."

"...Wow..." Liliana muttered uncomfortably, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm flattered. It's been a long time since someone's been _glad_ to have met me."

"I really am." Jace assured her, wiping his eyes one last time before smiling at her. "I'm glad I met you most of all." A blush appeared on Liliana's pale cheeks as she turned away, thumping her foot rhythmically against the machine she was perched on.

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere, Beleren." She smirked.

"Yeah, I know..." Jace chuckled weakly, feeling his spirits lift a bit. "So what about you? What's your story?"

"My... Story?"

"What happened last year with you and everyone else, remember?"

"O-Oh! Right!" Liliana nodded, seeming oddly relieved again. "Gods, making me follow up that sob story- you're a real bastard, you know?"

"Sorry, sorry..." Jace chuckled weakly. Liliana heavily sighed, taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts.

"So I figure by now that you know I'm what they call a 'free agent': someone who takes jobs from guilds when they don't want to do them." she began. "Last year, Azorius took advantage of this, and called me to look into Chandra's brother, who they suspected was practicing forbidden forms of magic on campus. I knew he was, because he'd told me, and maybe they even knew. But, like you probably know, he was the school's pride and joy, and for one of the top guilds to send him away on the grounds of him dabbling in magic he shouldn't have, it would have caused a big controversy. So they chose me- a cruel, sadistic choice if you ask me."

"Why... did you take the job? He was your friend and trusted you with the information he'd given you?" Jace pried. Liliana groaned, slamming her hands roughly against the machine she was sitting on.

"Gods, just let me fucking finish, would you!" She snapped. "No one wants to look past the fact that I sold my friend out and betrayed him! No one wants to consider I didn't do this all in cold blood! I'm so sick of it!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing you!" Jace defended himself, flinching. "It's just... all I've heard."

"No surprise. Azorius practically ensured it." Liliana muttered bitterly. "No one knows that they made me choose between betraying my friends, or all of us getting expelled for conspiring against the school with Chandra's brother. Had I not done what I did, Chandra and Gideon would have had their academic record destroyed. Those bastards in Azorius played dirty, and they knew it.

"I initially tried to explain myself, but no one would answer. If they just took their fingers out of their ears and listened to me, maybe they would understand what I did. But no one wants to see passed the fact I got Chandra's brother expelled. I don't think of myself as noble for what I did and what I sacrificed... I just don't think of myself as the evil, treacherous bitch everyone thinks I am now,either. I did what I did to keep my friends from suffering. And Chandra's parents are non-magic users. I didn't want to have her sent back and forced back into that world where she's treated like a leper."

"...I could help you." Jace offered. "They might not listen to you, but Gideon and Chandra might lend an ear to me, if you want."

"That's really sweet of you, really... but maybe it's best that I have as few friends as possible." Liliana sighed. "Them keeping me at a distance is going to prove to be beneficial for them in the end."

"What do you... mean by that?" Jace asked, but Liliana only shook her head.

"That's a story for another day, Jace." She told him in a warning tone. "We had an agreement, and I've told you what you wanted to know. I'm not obligated to let you in any more than that." Jace looked back at her in defeat. Even if he could read her mind, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to. Personal matters were things for people to tell themselves, and as much as he wanted to know, he knew it was best not to pry and to simply wait for the day when she'd be comfortable enough with him to share what she was keeping quiet about.

"I can wait." He told her, giving her a reassuring grin. "I'll just have to stick around until you're comfortable enough with telling me."

"Gods..." Liliana muttered, a slight smile on her face. "You know, for someone who prides himself for being brainy, you can be a real hard-headed idiot sometimes."

The two of them spoke until Liliana's clothes had dried. And by the time they returned to the room and allowed her to change back, the rain had finally stopped and the clouds began to break, letting rays from the setting sun warm the practically flooded campus grounds.

"Looks like I'm free to go." Liliana confirmed when they arrived back at the lobby. "Thanks... for sharing all that stuff with me. I bet sharing something that sad was really hard."

"Yeah, but I don't mind, so long as it's you. I needed to tell someone, anyway- needed to exorcise those demons." Jace chuckled. Liliana joined him, seeming a little uncomfortable. "Thanks for listening."

"Well, I should probably get going before people show up. If you're found here with me, there's no doubt people are going to try and crucify you." She joked, starting to leave. Before she could go, though, Jace reached out and stopped her, gently grabbing her wrist. He looked to the dormitory bulletin board, noting one of the larger posters left there. It was about the school's upcoming dance, and he remembered why he'd been hoping to run into Liliana that weekend.

"Hold up a second..." He said, trying his hardest to summon the words. "The... the fall dance coming up... do you want to go... like together?" He held his breath, waiting for her response. She sighed, shaking her head.

"Sorry, Jace, I'd love to, but dances really aren't my thing. Maybe some other time..."

"It's okay, I kind of figured I'd get turned down." Jace laughed uncomfortably, looking dejected. Liliana sighed, feeling a little bit bad. He'd just told her probably of the one most sad moment in his life, and here she was, turning him down. There was really no way she'd be able to bring herself to go with him to the dance full of people who would probably chase her from the vicinity with knives and pitchforks, though. But, at the very least, she could try and make him feel better.

"Come here..." She muttered, reaching up and moving his bangs from out of the way of his forehead. Leaning in, she pressed her lips gently against his head, kissing him affectionately. He stumbled back in surprise, fingers lightly touching where she had kissed and looking back at her like she'd just jumped and scared him.

"Heh, bye Jace." She chuckled, watching his entire face grow redder and redder. "I'll see you at the library tomorrow?"

"..." Jace stared back at her, only able to utter choked, surprised gasps.

"Good." she smiled before turning around and raising her hand in goodbye. "It's a date then."


	11. Open Up and Shut Out

It was an awful day to be downtrodden, that was for sure. After what seemed like an endless onslaught of rain, the clouds had finally cleared, making way for blue skies, sunshine and temperatures that were the very definition of perfect. But Jace couldn't help but hang his head and heavily sigh, as if it were still raining.

He sat on the bleachers of the football field, watching the team practice. So much of his time lately had been taken by doing odd jobs for guilds that he'd hardly been able to hang out with either Gideon or Chandra. And he only ever saw Liliana in the library, where a lot of his focus was dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of whatever the "guildpact" was. Between school and being sent on tasks for guilds who knew just how to manipulate him, he'd hardly found even a whiff of a hint.

The tasks and missions he had been sent on that past week hadn't been as big and over the top as his first- finding out if a student had been cheating on their exams, retrieving knowledge about pop quizes, making teachers who fully intended to punish guild members forget all about their punishment, things of that nature- but they'd come in droves without so much as a relent. He believed Niv-Mizzet when he told him he'd be wanted, but now he was really starting to feel used. Sitting there on the bleachers, heavy head held up by upturned hands, he felt absolutely spent- so spent he could hardly even be thankful for having some time off.

"Yo!" Jace lifted his head as someone energetically addressed him. At first he figured it was just another guild figurehead come to act like his buddy while they propositioned him to use his powers for something worth their time. So naturally he looked up at the speaker with the most annoyed, exhausted look he could muster. Much to his surprise, and regret, it was Chandra, who cast an annoyed glance back in response. "Wow, who shit in _your_ cereal this morning?"

She wore the goggles that really served no purpose but always seemed to have on her person loosely around her neck, a simple, faded, red tank top and old, and worn shorts that were starting to become frayed and come undone around the legs. Every single time he saw her, Jace always wondered if Chandra got most her her clothes from the reject bin at a thrift store- the kinds that were worn just enough to not be worth trying to sell.

"Sorry, I... figured you were someone else." He apologized through yet another sigh as he went back to watching the field.

"Well whoever it is, I'd hate to be them them way you looked at me." Chandra joked, taking a seat beside him. "That there's the type of glare that could turn people to stone if they looked for long enough."

"It's the guilds. They have me running every which way and now I'm just physically and mentally wasted." Jace explained.

"Sounds like someone didn't take my advice about staying away from those morons." She scolded. "Now they've got their nasty claws in you, they aren't going to stop."

"Tell me about it..."

Without a word, Chandra reached over, forcing something into his line of vision. It was a tall, perspiring drink can that already appeared to be open, judging by the flipped tab and the lime-colored liquid around the rim.

"Here: an energy drink. I think you need it more than me." She chuckled slightly as Jace slowly, cautiously took it. It was still cold, like she'd only recently gotten it. "I drank a little, I hope that's okay."

"So long as you didn't put anything in it." Jace told her with a smirk before gulping it down. The carbonation was just strong enough to burn his throat, and the flavor wasn't much to his taste, but his tired limbs and heavy eyelids coaxed him into downing it regardless.

"Nonsense. I reserve that kind of behavior for people who I really dislike."

"You mean to say you don't dislike me?" Jace questioned. "I mean, the way you act around me makes me think you still hold a grudge over what happened when we first met. Not to say you didn't deserve a little teasing, I mean, you _did_ steal my wallet."

"You're a giant jerk, but I don't dislike you." Chandra muttered, producing another, similar drink from somewhere on her person. Jace wondered to himself what she was up to that deserved the consumption of two, tall cans loaded with caffeine. He also wondered why she hadn't just given him the unopened one instead of the one she'd already started to drink. "I mean, Gideon thinks you're alright, and he's a pretty good judge of character. I'd say it's a safe call to think of you as a friend."

"O-Oh..." Jace couldn't help but smile a little. Hearing her say it, and in a way like she was embarrassed to have even said those words, made him happy. Friendships had always been difficult to form before he came to the academy. There was always the matter of weeding out the people who could find out about his powers, and the issue that he could never, really trust anyone. Here, bonds like friendship simply happened seamlessly. There was no need to worry about the things that used to keep him up at night before.

"So... what exactly is it that you do?" Jace asked her as he watched the football team. He remembered the sense of inferiority he felt in front of Liliana the weekend before. She knew so much about Gideon and Chandra he didn't, even though he had been accepted into their fold and she had been exiled. There was so much he didn't know about his new friends, seeing as how he was used to keeping people at a distance.

"What do I _do_?" Chandra parroted, sounding a bit offended.

"I mean, I'm more or less a guild lackey, and Gideon's on the football team." Jace explained himself. "I never really see you doing any sort of extracurricular thing. You're always just walking around by yourself or hanging around Gideon."

"Hmph, I'll have you know I used to do a lot!" Chandra said, pointing at him accusingly. "When Gideon first joined the football team, I thought I'd try to support him. I'd never make it as a cheerleader, so I figured I'd be the mascot of the Ravnica Firebreathers. Of course, I didn't take into account how hot that big ol' dragon costume could be, and the smell that clings to it is so unbearable, I really regretted my decision. So I found my own way out instead of asking to quit." She paused, giggling to herself.

"What did you _do_?" Jace asked, expecting the worst.

"Nothing too big. Let's just say I'm the reason the mascot costume doesn't have individually movable fingers any more." Chandra smirked. Jace rolled his eyes, picturing Chandra running around in a goofy dragon suit, flipping the bird to the opposing team and fans. The thought was enough to make him laugh to himself.

"What about clubs? Surely there's something that interests you."

"Yeah, but a lot of the clubs are run by the guilds, and I try to avoid that slippery slope wherever I can." Chandra muttered. "I was apart of the gardening club for a while, though."

"You? In the gardening club?" Jace couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, shut up! I'm a girl, I can like flowers and stuff like that." Chandra grumbled, giving Jace a shove, causing him to spill some of his drink.

"But are you really?"

"If that's a crack at my figure, Beleren, I'm going to light your 'nads on fire." She threatened, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, continue!" Jace exclaimed, unable to wipe the grin from off his face though.

"Ass..." Chandra mumbled angrily. "Anyway, I wound up getting kicked out after nearly burning down their entire greenhouse. Turns out eggs in a spider's nest hatching in there while I was there wasn't a good enough excuse for why I'd destroyed all their hard work." She shivered, muttering in disgust and terror. "A bunch of teeny- tiny spiders floating everywhere..."

"...So now you..." Jace pried.

"Now I'm not doing anything. I like the freedom of having nowhere to be after class. If I want to go to the diner down the street, I can. If I want to stay up late and get super exhausted, I don't have to worry about any kind of practice or meeting the next day. I can eat, drink and do what I want and not have to worry about setting a bad example." She mused. "I enjoy getting to live for myself. I like coming and going as I please."

"Well aren't you a free spirit?"

"You better believe it!" Chandra grinned, knocking her can against his. "I guess it's sort of something I craved before I came here. Back then I didn't have any freedom at all."

"Hey... how did you and your brother wind up here anyway? If you don't mind me asking, that is!"

"Well, if you're willing to open up and share your story with the class, I'll be more than happy to share." Chandra offered. Jace looked down at his half-consumed energy drink, not feeling all too keen about crying in front of someone in broad daylight in public. But, if it was the only way, he'd simply have to give her the most concise, abridged version he could within the limits he had.

"I manipulated everyone into thinking I wasn't a mage back at my old school and at home. I could have kept going, too, had my friend who knew about my powers not died in a car accident." He explained, concentrating in limiting the amount of emotion he put into his words. If he shared too much, if he let anything spill over too fast, he'd be a huge, emotional wreck with Chandra and the entire football team as an audience to his inner turmoil. "I sort of lost it and found his killer and destroyed his mind without realizing I was being watched. Everyone sort of turned on me after that and threatened me with jail time. Dean Markov sort of gave me a way out and managed to get me transferred here instead of behind bars."

"Is that so..." Chandra said thoughtfully. "Compared to that, my story isn't all that interesting. Me and my brother were just kind of sent here." She paused, taking a sip of her drink. "We came from a big family, and when we discovered our powers, they all sort of ostracized us. We became invisible and we both had to fend for ourselves in our own home. The only time our parents ever paid us any attention was when they shipped us off to Ravnica Academy."

"Didn't you go home last weekend?" Jace questioned.

"Well, yeah. They're still my family." Chandra shrugged, kicking off the worn-down sandals she was wearing and drew her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. "I only ever see them a few times a year, and now-a-days I just drop by to see if my brother has come back. But I still love my family, even if they're scared of me. I like to think if I keep on giving love, eventually I'll get love back..." She chuckled darkly to herself, shaking her head. "Stupid, huh?"

"...No. That isn't stupid at all." Jace sternly spoke, resting his hand on her shoulder. "The world as we know it could really use people like you. People who try and love people despite their differences..."

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere, dork."

"So I've been told." Jace chuckled as he turned back to the field. Just then, Gideon realized that Chandra had arrived and waved enthusiastically with both arms. "...So what about Gideon? What's his story?"

"His parents were both mages, but they died when he was really young." Chandra explained, waving weakly back at him. She kept a convincing smile while she spoke to keep Gideon from knowing she was sharing something potentially very private about him. "He became a ward of the state and spent most of his young life in a magic-folk orphanage. The moment he learned how to make his own decisions, though, he ran away and lived on the streets."

"But... before last weekend you said he was going home and that he was probably homesick." Jace interjected. "So both of you were lying, then?"

"Yes and no. On weekends where we're allowed to leave campus, he goes back to where he grew up and visits his parent's grave. He's also something of a big name at the orphanage he grew up at, even though he ran away. He does a lot of work there whenever he can so kids won't ever feel they need to run away like he did." Chandra sighed. "He's such a nice guy, sometimes I think he isn't even real."

"So how did he end up here?"

"Well, I can only tell you what he told me, but he spent a really long time on the streets- nothing but the clothes on his back and a walkman. He tells me time and again that, if he hadn't had music to block out the things people said about him, he would have gone crazy and hurt someone. If you ever wondered why he insists on listening to his music super, offensively loud, that's why. He does it when he's had a bad day and wants to drown everything out."

Jace noted in his mind that he'd heard those things before from Liliana, but still tried to act like he'd never heard those words before.

"He used his magic to steal a lot of what he needed, and eventually, of course, the idiot was caught. His punishment would have been really severe- since he was a mage abusing his powers to do something illegal- but Dean Markov stepped in an negotiated that he be sent here."

"Does he do that a lot- find young mages on trial and bring them here, I mean?" Jace questioned curiously.

"Yeah, he's sort of famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) for giving mages like you and Gideon a second chance." Chandra told him. "People who have used their powers wrongly and would otherwise be put behind bars because of it. That's probably why this school is filled with so many assholes- we're all just a bunch of people who society thinks should be jailed."

"Did you just insinuate that me and Gideon are assholes?" Jace chuckled.

"Maybe." Chandra smiled proudly. "What'cha gonna do?"

"I could make you believe you were a wild ape and have you flailing your arms and thumping your chest all over campus." Jace threw out. "Or anything, really, the possibilities are endless."

"And that's why you're an asshole." Chandra laughed.

"Hey, I never said I was actually going to do it."

"Yeah, but you thought it. You probably think it would be proper funny, too."

"I have to admit, seeing that would be pretty hilarious. And it would definitely humble you."

A silence fell between the two of them as they watched the football team go through the paces of practice. Chandra nervously bit her lip as she laced her fingers through her toes, her legs still drawn close to her chest. Jace couldn't help but notice she looked like she had something to say, but couldn't quite speak whatever words she wanted to voice.

"Chandra?"

"Wh-What!?" She jumped, tensing up.

"Is something wrong?"

Chandra remained silent for a few seconds, nervously fidgeting and opening and closing her mouth several times in a sad attempt to form words. Jace patiently waited, watching her curiously.

"...So... the fall dance is coming up and all..." She began, refusing to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you... I don't know... want to go?" She mumbled, tightly shutting her eyes. "Like... together?"

Had Jace bothered to reach into her mind, he would have known exactly what Chandra was asking. Had he thought of her more than a friend, or had his mind been sharper and not exhausted after a full week of getting ordered around, he would have possibly caught on. But in that moment, Chandra's question only seemed like a harmless, friendly offer. He took no notice to the blush on her cheeks or the panicked, shy side glances. He was still stuck on the fact Chandra had simply referred to him as a friend.

"Hmm? Well, I'm free that day, so I don't see why not." He said with a grin and a shrug.

"R-Really!?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, sure." Jace laughed, not quite understanding the girl's excitement. "No harm in going... though you never really struck me as the dance type."

"Yeah, well that's because I never had-" Chandra began before Gideon called them from the field.

"Hey, slackers, it's pie time!"

"Looks like it's pie time." Chandra laughed as she stood to her feet. "I swear, every spare moment he has, it's spent eating pie."

"That's pretty accurate." Jace agreed as the two of them traveled down the bleachers to the field. At that moment, nothing seemed at all wrong to Jace. In fact, the entire trip to the diner nothing seemed off to him. Things progressed as normal until they arrived, and Gideon paused, stopping Chandra from following Jace in. Jace curiously waited in the doorway, waiting to see what in the world was going on.

"Yeah?" Chandra asked, seeming impatient.

"Chandra... I was wondering..." Gideon paused, rubbing the back of his neck and stumbling over his words.

"I'm not cleaning out the mold growing in your locker again. That's what you get for leaving your sweaty, dirty socks from practice there." Chandra scolded, groaning.

"No, it has nothing to do with the mold growing in my locker- and that was just one time!" Gideon sighed, reaching out and taking her hand. Chandra looked between him and their hands, her expression slowly growing more and more perplexed and bothered. "Chandra... will you go to the dance with me."

For a second, Jace was proud with his friend. But that second came and went, followed by an overwhelming wave of panic. In those terrifying seconds between Gideon's question and Chandra's inevitable answer, Jace realized exactly had happened, the context of Chandra's question and just how much of a fool he'd been. At that moment, he wanted to vanish and run to anywhere but right beside them.

"I-I'm sorry... Gideon... I'm actually going to the dance with Jace."

Gideon swiftly turned his head to Jace, betrayal, anger and baffled, pained confusion in his eyes. And Jace wasn't sure if he should apologize, brace himself or run frantically away.

"So... How about that pie?"

* * *

"Gideon! I'm sorry!" Jace said for the uncountable time as the two of them walked into their dorm room- rather, Jace walked in, Gideon trudged in, each footstep heavy and loud. "Just listen to me for a second!"

"Sure, I'll listen, but to what? To the fact you _knew_ I like Chandra, and should have _figured_ I was going to ask her to the dance, but you decide to go with her anyway?" Gideon spat back. "Is hanging around Liliana starting to turn you into a traitor, too!?"

"Don't bring Liliana into this, Gideon!" Jace snapped, slamming his fist against the wall. "Could you pull your fingers out of your ears and listen to me for five seconds!?"

"You know what? No! No, I'm done!" Gideon growled. "I'm done with you, I'm done with Chandra- I'm done with everything right now!"

"It was an accident! I wasn't thinking!" Jace shouted just as Gideon turned on and cranked up the volume on his speakers, drowning out everything Jace said as he turned his back to him. "Gods dammit, Gideon! Listen to me!"

Gideon remained faced away from Jace, acting like his friend wasn't even behind him, yelling at the top of his lungs for him to listen. And standing in the wake of Gideon's godly-powerful speakers was starting to overwhelm Jace, and something told him that his friend was much too frustrated and angry to even consider what he was saying to be true. He attempted to get Gideon's attention before giving up entirely, holding his arms up angrily in defeat before turning and leaving the room.

Right outside, he came across Chandra who had just arrived, having followed shortly behind them.

"I-I'm sorry... did I do something wrong?" She asked, sounding painfully guilty. Jace wanted to shout at her- to act as angry as he felt. But the last thing he wanted was for his other friend to be angry with him as well. So, instead, he shook his head.

A darker, furious part of him simply wanted to take Chandra to the dance just to spite Gideon for his comment about Liliana.

"No, you didn't do anything." Jace shook his head. "Gideon's just being an ass."


	12. Taking Shape

Jace stared back at his expression with a look that was a combination of both nerves and self-loathing. A few days had passed since his and Gideon's fight, and ever since then he'd seen less and less of him. The night before he didn't even return to the dorm room. Chandra hadn't seen much of him either, as far as she'd told him, and it seemed she was just as unsettled about it as he was. A lot of his free time after school was spent with her, mostly just to hear her bounce between worrying about Gideon or complaining about him. As far as he knew, she knew Gideon was upset, but the reason continued to allude her.

That is what frustrated him most of all: not that Gideon had nearly vanished, going as far as to not return to their dorm room at night- not that he wound up having to take Chandra to the dance he'd wanted to take Liliana to. It was the fact that Chandra seemed content with being in the dark about why Gideon was so upset. There had been plenty of times where he just wanted to shout in her face "It's because he loves you!", but always held himself back. The last thing he wanted to do was add more drama to the storm of emotions already doing damage to his life. He really had no right to call her out on not noticing, seeing as he wound up in this situation by also not paying any attention to someone else's feelings.

He sighed and smoothed back his hair, stepping away from the mirror. He wore a blue vest and dress-shirt combo he'd gotten a long time ago in anticipation for if he was ever invited to some sort of formal function. He'd put a surprising lack of effort into getting ready, despite how important the dance was to everyone else. The only person who didn't seem to care was Liliana, who was still unaware Jace was going- and with a date, no less.

Jace took another calming breath, trying to practice not looking like he was getting buried by his problems.

"Just tell her the truth." He told his reflection sternly. "Just tell her you're interested in someone else, and that Gideon is madly in love with her." he sighed heavily through his nose, laughing at himself and shaking his head. He ran his hand through his hair before pressing his palm against his face and groaning angrily into his hand.

A soft knock that grew louder and louder with each, passing pound echoed from his door. Jace looked up expectantly, part of his hoping it was Gideon. Oh, if he could just get off his chest everything that had gathered up those past couple of days...

"Jace! Hey, you in there?" Much to his dismay, from the voice on the other side of the door, Jace knew right away it wasn't Gideon. It was the other half of his problem pounding on his door like she needed desperate access into his room. With one last, exhausted groan, Jace looked back at the mirror, practicing a more relaxed, less worried look and went to open the door.

"I'm here, Chandra, I was just... getting... ready..." Up until that point, he'd only ever seen Chandra in clothes that were falling apart, three sizes too large for her or ones made specifically for men. But there she was, standing in his doorway, wearing a form-fitting, simple red gown, her hair done in loose curls. He found himself having to remind himself that this was Chandra- boyish, slouching, rude, abrasive Chandra. Bossy, loud, rough Chandra. Chandra, who his friend really liked. Chandra, who he felt nothing for. He repeated those things to himself over and over while he tried not to stare at the deep V that plunged down her chest or the fact she was wearing makeup.

"You look... nice." He stammered, giving her an approving nod.

"'Nice', Mister Beleren? I didn't devote hours of my time just for a 'nice'." Chandra smirked.

"...You did this all yourself?" Jace asked doubtfully.

"Well, no, my roommate did a lot of it for me. But I had to sit there and let her do all these girly things to me and now I can't rub my eyes or wear my goggles." Jace suppressed a sigh of relief as the Chandra he knew bubbled up to the surface passed the outer shell of makeup and fancy clothes she had on.

"You were _really_ going to wear those goggles?"

"Well yeah, they look really cool!" Chandra proclaimed. "But nooooo, it will mess up my hair." Jace couldn't help but start chuckling to himself as Chandra continued to tear down the walls of femininity someone else had built around her.

"...What? What's so damn funny?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jace said, stifling chuckles unsuccessfully.

"Ass." Chandra muttered. "Come on, or else we're going to be late."

"Wait a second, Chandra." Jace said, following after her. She stopped, whirling around and nearly collapsing in her heels.

"Y-Yeah?"

"...After the dance there's something that I need to tell you." He told her. "It's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while." She looked back at him, wide eyed and blushing.

"...Did I say something wrong."

"No, of course not!" Chandra exclaimed, turning back around to face away from him. "You... you're fine."

* * *

Sarkhan Vol stared down at the event hall from the catwalk above. Students had begin to file in, slowly filling the spacious room and unaware they were being watched. He looked down at them all as if he were looking down at a horde of cockroaches crawling out of a wall. None of them knew- they just went on living their lives, totally unaware that the whole of Ravnica Academy was nothing but a facade and they were nothing but pieces in a game being played by immortal creatures. It hurt him, too, to know he had been brought there only for the sake of the game, but at least he was aware.

At least, in the end, he'd come out on top. The ends would all justify the means.

"Gods, I could be going to the dance, but instead I'm stuck up here with you." A voice complained behind him. He looked over to see Baltrice, sitting on the catwalk and leaning over the railing, allowing her legs to drape over the side. Just a little force could send her over the edge. Too bad she actually had a place in Nicol Bolas' plan and wasn't just another, pointless side piece. He would have killed her a long time ago, what with her attitude, lack of ambition and her annoying ability to whine every single spoken word around him. When everything was all over, then maybe...

"Hmph, I'm sure you wouldn't care as much about missing the dance if Tezzeret was here." Sarkhan shrugged, shaking his head. "Although, you would be much too distracted by one another to actually do your work. You and that fool have no drive."

"Shut up, Sarkhan!" Baltrice snapped. It was dark up on the catwalk, facing away from the bright, overhead lights of the dance, but it was obvious she was blushing. "We're working just as much as you are toward getting what we want. Just because you're single and spiteful gives you no reason to talk shit like that."

"I swear to the gods, you and him had better be worth keeping around. We've come too far for you and your attitude to mess everything up." Sarkhan growled.

"What are we doing here anyway!?" She groaned. "Why can't we just watch things from the floor!"

"Because Tezzeret has already manned the dance floor and we need eyes watching this event from above." Sarkhan explained, sounding painfully annoyed. "If I were to place you down there with him, you'd lose yourselves in the merriment of the dance and take your eyes off who we're here for. It's best you two are kept very far away from one another while there's work to be done." He heard Baltrice huff in frustration as she leaned back over the railing.

"Why are we watching this dance so closely, again?"

"Nicol Bolas simply said to watch for any activity from Beleren. We weren't to contact him until we see something."

"But we never had to watch him this closely before! Why now, all of a sudden!?"

"Why is it that you follow orders without so much of a word when Bolas asks you to do something, but you constantly complain to me about his orders?" Sarkhan hissed.

"Um, because you're not a gigantic, powerful dragon. Duh." Baltrice huffed.

"I swear, give me a good enough reason and I _will_ kill you." Sarkhan warned. "The wrath of Bolas is a lot more a welcome thing than listening to you prattle on."

"...You never answered my question." Baltrice added after a short moment of silence. Sarkhan muttered angrily to himself.

"Bolas appears to believe that tonight we might actually see some activity from Jace Beleren. He couldn't say for sure, but it's better to be safe than to be sorry." He explained, not bothering to cover up how angry he was with the younger girl. "Now shut up before I'm forced to sew your lips together."

Baltrice mimicked him mockingly, but without a sound- only moving her lips and waggling her tongue in an immature fashion- as she looked back down toward the dance floor.

 _Sorry, Tezz_ , she thought to herself, _looks like we can't enjoy the dance together like we planned._

* * *

Jace didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that the moment he and Chandra reached the spacious event hall where the dance was being held, Chandra had run off somewhere, leaving him alone. Standing against the wall, watching everyone else have hundreds of times more fun that he was, he could just barely catch a glimpse of her fiery gown through the sea of dancing bodies. She was gabbing with a bunch of female companions that Jace had been unaware she even had. Every once in a while she'd cast a smile in his direction, acknowledging his existence, but kept at a distance. What in the world was she doing? She'd asked him there, hadn't she? Was this all some sort of sick joke?

He stared down at his feet, unsure what to do. If he stayed here, alone, it would hurt his pride, but at least he'd leave the dance with a clear conscience. But then all he could think of was how much a waste of time it all was- not just the dance, but everything else he'd gone through the passed few days. Worrying about Gideon, getting annoyed at Chandra, getting nervous Liliana would catch wind of him going to the dance with someone else and every other emotion he'd spared that moment would be wasted if he just stood there, acting like he'd come alone rather than with someone.

"What's the point..." He muttered to himself looking up briefly and feeling his stomach turn. Not too far from Chandra, in a group that was made up mostly of other members of the football team, was Gideon, carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Jace felt the need to try and cast a spell to blend himself into the wall, hoping that his friend didn't notice him there. He didn't know if he could take the look of disgust and anger reserved only for him another time.

Quickly, he looked to Chandra to see if she noticed him, too, but she seemed as unaware of Gideon's presence as she was of the fact that leaving her date to stand around alone wasn't exactly normal. She seemed so happy and unaware, taking and laughing with her friends. Gideon seemed equally as content, not even catching notice that Chandra was nearby. They stood at a distance, no longer connected at the hip like they had been, laughing and chatting like the other didn't exist. And Jace had been the cause of it all.

"Gods, I'm an idiot..."

"You're a _what_ now?" A familiar voice spoke, emanating from his blind spot. He jumped, hand over his chest for fear his heart would spring from his body it beat so hard against his ribs. Eyes wide with panic and guilt he turned to see the last person he wanted to see: Liliana. How odd that her presence that usually filled him with an alarming sense of calm was now the reason for his cold, nervous sweat and frantic, inner anxiety.

She wore a short, black, strapless dress, silver swirls and spirals dancing around the hem. Her hair was put up into a bun, one, single strand being allowed to dangle from the bunch down her back. Her black, open-toed heels were just high enough that she matched his height and looked him right in the eyes.

"L-Liliana!" He gasped, trying and failing to turn his shocked expression into a relaxed smile. He was way too high strung to even remember how to smile, even though he'd practiced faking one all night. "W-Wha... You... You said-!"

"I changed my mind. Hearing Emmara nag at you for days on end about something will do that to you. You eventually just do what she says just to make her stop talking and not because you want to." She grumbled before casting her gaze into the crowd. A few people had taken notice of her, and had drifted away, like she was emitting some kind of odor, but everyone else was too engaged in dancing and chatting to give a damn. She put on a frustrated half smile, and as Jace looked out to where she was gazing, his eyes settled on Chandra who was looking over her shoulder at him, a territorial look in her eyes.

"So... how is the date going?" It was a simple question, but each word was barbed enough to sting and dig into Jace's skin.

"The... date?" Jace gulped nervously.

"I'm kind of surprised you're here with Chandra, though. From what you've told me, you don't find her all that attractive." Liliana continued as if Jace hadn't even spoke. "I really shouldn't stick around, or your girl might get the wrong idea about us."

"Sweet gods, Liliana, she isn't 'my girl', alright? I'm here with her because of a misunderstanding- an accident!" Jace tried to defend himself from Liliana's verbal attacks.

"Wow. I've never heard that one before. A man accidentally taking a woman out to a dance. I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often."

"I swear, it's the truth! And now Gideon's pissed at me, and now you're here-"

"And I'm sorry to have sullied your night with my presence." Liliana cut in, her words digging deep. "And why would Gideon be angry with you, I wonder? I mean, I understand that Chandra never caught on to his obvious longing for her, but you, a mind reader... A bold move, moving in on someone else's object of affection."

"Liliana, I swear... I've had people misunderstand my actions left and right these passed few days. Could you please just believe me for five seconds instead of tear down everything I say!?" Jace shouted.

"Oh, right, I'm just supposed to step aside and accept the fact you're taking some other girl to a dance!"

"You didn't even want to go in the first place! Would you rather I stay cooped up in my dorm room and avoid human contact!?"

"For someone who prides himself on being so damn smart, you're proving yourself to be pretty thick right now!"

Just then the heavy bass and fast beat of the music changed drastically to a more smooth, slow beat as the dance floor cleared out, leaving only couples wrapped in each others arms to dance. Jace's eyes quickly darted to Chandra, who was bidding her friends goodbye, and then back to Liliana, who was rolling her eyes and starting to walk away.

"Enjoy your slow dance. You've really earned this one." She grumbled. Frantically, Jace raked his brain for something he could do. He only had a few seconds to think, and thus he culminated the thought to reach out and grab Liliana's hand before she walked out of reach and force her onto the dance floor. She protested, but he managed to find the strength inside of himself to keep her held before him as he more or less forced her to dance with him. He locked eyes with her, mostly so he could make her believe he was serious, but also to keep from looking up to see what Chandra was doing, watching him drag her self-proclaimed mortal enemy onto the dance floor during a slow dance. In fact, he was keeping from looking up and seeing anybody. He was sure he and Liliana stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What in the _hell_ are you doing?" She hissed, her attempts to free herself matching the beat of the music, as if she were trying to mask the fact she was trying to escape.

"I'm trying to tell you something!" He whispered harshly through clenched teeth. "This was literally the only thing I could think of."

"Really? Pulling me onto the dance floor so everyone can see me was the 'only thing you could think of'?" Liliana questioned. "You know, following after me might have worked a little better."

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't have much time to think-"

"Clearly"

"-but there's something I really need to tell you!"

"Well I'm all ears now." She snapped.

"I..." Jace began before starting over, not wanting to jump the gun before he explained himself. "Chandra asked me to the dance, but I thought she'd asked if I was just going and if she could tag along! And now Gideon is pissed at me because he thinks I'm trying to take Chandra away from him and I have no idea how Chandra feels but apparently she likes me a lot more than I thought she did!"

"Well that was a mouthful."

"I'm just trying to explain what I'm doing here. I'm not here because I want to be, or because I like Chandra. I couldn't even be attracted to Chandra even if I tried!"

"Could have fooled me." Liliana murmured in response.

"Gods, could you cut that out! I'm telling you the truth!"

"Why? Why in the world are you so set on trying to convince me you aren't here on a romantic date with little miss fiery red head over there?" Liliana snarled.

"Because I really like you, alright!?" Jace shouted, unaware of just how loud he'd spoken as he came to a stop. Liliana froze, looking back at him in surprise.

"You... you _what_?"

Jace couldn't think of any words to summon. All he could do was act in attempts to get his message through to Liliana. And those actions were to pull her in close and kiss her- not in the cheek or the forehead, but full on the lips. She fought for only a second before she went completely still, allowing him to kiss her. In that moment, only Jace and Liliana exited. There was no one to hear them or see them- it was just them, lips locked, arms frantically wrapped around the other.

However, the moment was brought to an end as Liliana pulled herself away, gasping and pushing against Jace's chest to finally free herself. She stared back at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed as she gasped for breath. Her hair that had been fastened to keep it out of her face fell in front of her features in thick strands.

It was in that moment that Jace realized there was no sounds aside from the music coming from the speakers. There was no talking or shuffling or stamping of feet. He looked up to see everyone in the events hall stopped dead in their tracks, staring at them. He caught a quick glimpse of Chandra and immediately averted his eyes, catching a look of devastation he couldn't linger on. And when his vision came to rest of Liliana, she was running away.

"Liliana!" He shouted, shuffling frantically from foot to foot as he looked around at everyone in the dance floor. Cursing to himself he ran after her, out of the events hall.

Meanwhile, Chandra watched him run off, feeling both furious enough to burn down the entire building as well as betrayed enough to cry in front of everyone. Feeling tears well up in her eyes she pushed her way forcefully though the crowd at her back, running the opposite way with her hands covering her face. She hated herself for immediately thinking that her tears would smear her makeup and what a shame that would be.

Gideon looked over just in time to watch her run out. He stood hesitantly at first, not sure if he should pursue her. He was still trying to swallow what he'd seen unfold between Jace and Liliana, and it was taking a lot to process everything. He took one step, and then another.

If anything, this all meant that Jace and Chandra were...

Clenching his fists and groaning, angry at himself and the whole situation that was unfolding, he ran in the direction Chandra had gone, calling after her. Stumbling through the crowd, he managed to push his way into the dark hallway leading back to the main building. From what he'd been told, all magical alarm and security systems had been deactivated for the dance, just in case someone left and happened to trip something. So running around the school, for once, wouldn't get either him or Chandra, who had managed to vanish, into any trouble.

"Chandra?" He called, trying to listen for footsteps and hearing none. He'd always told Chandra she should try out for the track team, and this only stood as proof. She was impossibly fast. "Gods..." He ran forward, glad, at least, to know the one place Chandra would go when she was troubled and wanted to be alone. She'd told no one else but him, and he'd come to find her there many times: the rooftop. He made sure to run there at full speed, managing to stumble and trip in his haste down dark corridors and up stairs until he arrived.

At first he could see nothing on the roof, only making out shapes and shadows in the blackness. But then he heard the telling sound of sobbing and slowly, carefully made his way toward the noise. It was there he found her, hands grasping the wire mesh that circled the rooftop that glowed red against her touch as she unintentionally summoned up magics in her sadness. He approached her slowly, trying not to surprise her, but she still managed to hear him.

"Go away!" She cried.

"...Chandra." Gideon spoke. Her form straightened up as she whirled around to see him. It was hard to see, but it was more than obvious she'd been crying as she frantically attempted to wipe the tears that covered her face.

"You... what are you doing here?" She muttered. "You've been so distant lately... why chose to see me now? Have you come to make fun of me?" She turned back around, clutching the half-melted wire. "Because it's funny, right? The guy I like likes someone else. Of course, I mean, why wouldn't he? Who would even like _me_?"

"Chandra, I-"

"Why are men so dumb anyway?" Chandra continued, beginning to cry again.

"...Do you really expect me to answer that?" Gideon asked, getting silence as his answer as Chandra quietly sobbed. He sighed before taking a long, preparatory breath.

"Chandra... I don't know much about Jace- or all of man kind, either... but I know I've been pretty dumb myself. I've been biding my time, always figuring you'd... never find someone."

"Are you trying to make a joke at my expense right now? Because now _really_ isn't the time." Chandra warned.

"No, no! I just... gods, I can't say it, even now. I've never said it to anyone... it's probably the hardest thing to say..." Gideon rambled on, slowly approaching her as she turned around, eyeing him curiously with tear-filled eyes. "But those three simple words were what could have stopped this all from happening. I've just always been... afraid you would turn me down. We'd lose everything if that happened... I..."

"Gideon..." Chandra cut in, sounding an odd combination of annoyed and shocked. "...Are you trying to say you _like_ me?"

"I...I just... you..." Gideon stumbled over his words a couple of times before slowly nodding instead.

"...For how long?"

"A _really_ long fucking time..." Gideon chuckled nervously, sounding just as emotional as Chandra did. "I'm sorry... if that makes you uncomfortable. I really didn't want to... so we can just forget about all this if you want. I just... really want to go back to the way things were now... I..."

Before he could continue he felt arms wrap around him in a warm, comforting embrace. He looked down to find Chandra hugging him, her eyes averted to the ground. He immediately tensed up.

"Chandra-"

"Just... just shut up for a second, okay?" She mumbled. "Shut up before you say something stupid and ruin the moment..."

Gideon relaxed before he reached down and cupped Chandra's chin, but not forcing her head up.

"Chandra... lift your head."

"What? Why?" Chandra asked, but doing just that, and those were the last words she spoke before Gideon pressed his lips tenderly against hers.

Silence fell over the rooftop- no words or sobs, just the sound of music humming from the events hall in the distance. 

* * *

"Liliana! Gods dammit, wait!" Jace shouted as he ran after her. He'd chased her all the way into the school- all the way into the main entrance where she finally stopped, much to Jace's surprise. He stumbled to a halt as well, clumsily scrambling until he stood solidly on two feet. " _Finally_!"

"What the hell was that, Jace!?" She snapped, turning to him as she tried to fix her hair that was starting to come undone.

"I don't know, I thought it was pretty straight forward, so I'm not really sure what you're confused about." Jace huffed, trying to catch his breath.

"How about you start with, I don't know, _why_!?" Liliana practically shrieked.

"I didn't know what else to do, alright? It was now or never, so I took the chance."

"Gods, you're unbelievable!" Liliana groaned. "Subtlety is totally lost on you, isn't it!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I could have done something a little less extreme... but I meant what I said." Jace told her, slowly approaching her. She stood before him cautiously, like she was readying herself to run again. "When I'm around you... there aren't any secrets you keep from me, or thoughts you don't share. You speak what you say and for once, I'm not full of doubt around someone. I've never felt that around anyone... not even Kallist."

"Jace..." Liliana sighed, allowing Jace to draw close enough to rest his hands on her shoulders, but not much more than that as she met him step for step once he had a hold on her.

"Look, I don't care if you reject me! I just want to live knowing I told you how I really felt. You don't keep any secrets from me... so I don't want to keep any secrets from you."

"Jace, don't. You already-" Liliana began, feeling Jace's grip growing tighter on her shoulders.

"I have to. I have to say it, as many times as it takes." Jace forced. "I... I love you, Liliana!"

In that moment, Jace's head began to ache suddenly, and he was forced to let Liliana go to clutch at his own skull. Those same voices he'd heard the day he mind-wiped Tajic returned, shouting and crying that same, mysterious word.

_Guildpact!_

_Guildpact!_

_Guildpact!_

"Wh... Jace? What's going on?" Liliana asked, whipping her head back and forth, looking around frantically. "Where are those voices coming from?"

"Y-You hear them, too?" Jace muttered in agony just as the ground beneath them began to shake. They both looked down just in time to find the school emblem at their feet glowing as a dull rumble and crack echoed from below. The two of them were forced to separate, watching as the emblem's light died out just before the ground split open. Both Jace and Liliana stumbled backward, expecting to be swallowed up.

"Wh...what is...?" Jace muttered moments before the rumbling ceased along with the whispers and hisses of the disembodied voices. Groaning as he regained his footing, his headache slowly dissipated. Now that the chaos had died down, him and Liliana were standing opposite one another, looking down at a hole that had opened up in the ground, a set of stairs leading down into the darkened depths.

"...What in the actual _fuck_?" Liliana hissed as she and Jace slowly approached the opening.

"What was that?"

"Do I look like I know what that was?"

"Sorry..."

They looked down into the darkness for a few more seconds before Liliana spoke up.

"...Should we... I don't know... go down there?"

"Don't. Now isn't the time." A third, new voice chimed in. Jace and Liliana whirled around to find Avacyn walking into the main entrance hall, a soft smile on her face. She was dressed up as if she'd just come from the dance as well, wearing a black dress that draped all the way to the ground and dragged behind her and long, black gloves that reached passed her elbows. She wore a single, black rose in her hair that she allowed to flow freely behind her.

"...What?" Jace questioned. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Your questions will be answered in time. My father wishes to speak to you- to the both of you." She explained, the same monotone in her voice as usual. "All I am at liberty to tell you is that the maze has finally been unsealed. Welcome back to Ravnica, Jace Beleren. It's been a very, very long time."


	13. Opened Eyes

"So is this the entrance to the maze?" Baltrice craned her head, attempting to look into the darkness that engulfed the now exposed stairwell. "Can't we just go ahead and go down there ourselves? I mean, what we need is down there, and there's no one around to stop us, right?"

"Idiot, we can't just waltz into the maze. We don't know if anything dangerous is down there or not." Tezzeret scolded, pulling her back by the collar of her jacket. She stumbled backward, accidentally brushing against him as she regained her balance.

"It's doubtful that anything guarding that place is even alive, and if there's traps they may have rotted or eroded away years ago." Sarkhan added, rolling his eyes and folding his arms as he, too, drew near to the exposed entrance. "But only Jace Beleren can obtain what we need, it would be pointless to storm down there ourselves. We can manage our way through the maze all we want, but we won't be able to get what lies at the end without him."

"Very true, Sarkhan." A sultry, feminine voice called from the darkness. All three of them turned around just as Nicol Bolas appeared from the darkness, cloaked in illusions that made him appear to be an attractive human woman.

"S-sir..." Baltrice muttered. Bolas looked to her and to his other followers, noticing their obvious discomfort.

"Gods, I'm thousands of years old. At least give me the pleasure to walk around in whatever skin I please." He grumbled, eyes aglow.

"Y-you make a good point... sir." Sarkhan nodded, adding the final word hesitantly.

"As do you, Sarkhan." Bolas chuckled as he walked passed him and over to the mouth of the maze, running his hand under his chin in a combination of flirtatiousness and roughness. "What we need in this maze can only be gotten for us by Beleren. And so now we move on to the next phase of our plan."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, how did you figure that Beleren would open the maze? He's been here before under similar circumstances and the entrance didn't appear." Tezzeret inquired.

"It's quite simple, actually. Last he was here, he was by himself." Bolas explained. "When the Living Guildpact sealed this very maze, he did so not on his own. _She_ was more or less present that day everything came to an end."

* * *

Jace and Liliana followed after Avacyn nervously, casting looks towards one another, expressing both worry and confusion. The white-haired girl hadn't spoken a word since she'd beckoned them to follow her to the dean's office. All there was in terms of sound was the stepping of their feet against the tiled floor. Jace bit his lip, turning back towards Avacyn.

"I know you said everything would be explained later... but what exactly is going on?" He asked her. "What happened back there?"

"Your destiny has been put into motion. What happens now and what you believe after tonight is your choice." Avacyn spoke cryptically, not once turning to look at either him or Liliana.

"Excuse me but... destiny? I'm sorry, but doesn't that sound a little ridiculous?" Liliana questioned, raising an eyebrow. Avacyn came to a sudden stop, followed shortly by Jace and Liliana. She looked over her shoulder, a legitimate expression finding it's place on her face. And it wasn't at all pleased.

"Do not scoff at something we and this world have waited millenia for." She uttered harshly. "As farfetched as this all seems, it couldn't be a more serious matter." She swiftly turned around, her hair flying around her as she did. "My father can explain what will become of your fate in greater detail when we arrive. Until then, I ask that you don't treat this like a joke."

"Alright, alright, sorry! Sheesh..." Liliana muttered as her and Jace continued to follow after her.

"...Did she say 'millenia'?" Jace whispered to Liliana. "Like... thousands of years 'millenia'?"

"I can't think of any other 'millenia' she could have meant that by, so..." She shrugged.

"You're taking the fact that she and apparently a bunch of other people have been alive and waiting around for... whatever that was back there to happen for thousands of years pretty well." He mentioned.

"Am I?"

"We're here." Avacyn interrupted as the three of them arrived at the entrance to the dean's office. Jace had been there only once, when he'd enrolled in the Academy, and he was already having violent flashbacks of how intimidating Dean Markov had been when they first met. It didn't help he'd been around on campus long enough to hear the rumors that he was actually a vampire and feasted on problem students.

"Father, I've brought them." Avacyn spoke as she knocked lightly on the door that opened without aid. She walked in a few steps, nodding to whoever was in the room and motioned silently for Jace and Liliana to follow her. Hesitantly they did so, Liliana reaching out and taking Jace's hand.

One thing Jace immediately realized was the curtains. They were especially thick, from what he remembered from his last visit, and blocked out all natural light. He remembered this because they'd been pulled over the windows when he enrolled, the only thing lighting the room being lamps. But now they were drawn back, exposing the room to the pale moonlight that was now the only source of light in the room. It was just enough to make out objects and not run into them as well as the tall figure standing behind the grand, wooden desk that sat near the far end of the room. Jace recognized the long, silvery hair and the way the figure held himself: Dean Markov.

"So our wait is finally over." He said. He was facing away from them still, but Jace could just hear the cruel smile that was most likely on his features in his voice. "The maze has been reopened."

"Well... we definitely opened _something-_ not sure if it's this maze you keep going on about..." Jace confirmed. Dean Markov quickly turned to face them, his cold gaze settling on him, drawing a spastic chill up his spine. His skin was just as pale as his hair, suggesting the dean hardly ever saw any sunlight (which was something that only drove suspicion of his unconfirmed species).

"I have no doubt it was the entrance to the maze that has long been sealed below this very school. I had it built to protect what it holds, and to draw any magic-folk who had nowhere else to turn in hopes you, too, would be drawn here." Dean Markov explained. His words were smooth- putting even silk to shame. "It is, after all, your destiny to unseal the maze and retrieve what lies inside."

"Again with this whole 'destiny' business- that I don't understand either." Jace muttered, a combination of fear and frustration brewing in his gut as he spoke. "You and Avacyn keep talking like I've been here before. Why is it my destiny to-?"

"Before I explain anything to you, or to Liliana here, you two must promise me you'll keep an open mind." Dean Markov interrupted. "What I'm about to tell you is something that would be easier to ignore and close your minds off to. But trust me when I say that every word I share with you here is nothing but the truth."

Jace couldn't help but notice Liliana grasping his hand tighter before she nodded silently. He looked over to her, but her eyes remained looking unwaveringly forward. He turned back to Dean Markov and nodded as well.

"We promise, Dean Markov."

"Please, call me Sorin. I'd rather we be on a first-name-basis after tonight- after what I intend to tell you..." Sorin paused, his gaze, once again, falling specifically on Jace. "Of the day the Living Guildpact cursed this world."

"That name again..." Jace groaned.

"You've heard it before?"

"You could say that." Jace nodded. "What exactly is a 'Guildpact'?"

"Well, a 'Guildpact' is exactly as it's explained in the history of our school: a set of laws to keep the guilds in line. Those laws have changed over the course of history to accommodate with this changing world, but the definition, at least remains the same." Sorin told him, at first supplying an unsatisfactory answer, judging by Jace's frown. "However, the 'Living Guildpact" was a man who lived thousands of years ago who watched over the guilds of Ravnica's past in the stead of the Guildpact, keeping the peace... that is, until he no longer saw fit to keep it and instead turned to drowning this world in chaos and anarchy."

"But... why?" Jace questioned. "...and for that matter _how_?"

"The Living Guildpact was strong and wise enough to oversee the guilds and stand in place of the Guildpact, but even he couldn't account for the devastation of a war." Sorin explained, walking over to one of the open windows.

"War?" Jace asked. "Caused by what?"

"Or rather, by who..." Sorin paused. "The great peace we once knew on this world was destroyed by a creature known as Nicol Bolas. He came to Ravnica, his plans unknown aside from wanting to furl the flames of war. His attack seemed to come from nowhere- unplanned, and unstoppable. And he knew what the Living Guildpact would be forced to do in a war against him. War was something he found himself lacking in experience to face, so in his distress he called upon people like me: people from different planes of existence who could walk the roads connecting all the different worlds. We called ourselves 'planeswalkers'."

Jace couldn't help but notice Liliana's head snap up, followed shortly by a soft chuckle from Sorin.

"I take it you're already aware of the term, miss Vess?" He asked her.

"That's... the magic that Chandra's brother was studying... the one that got him expelled." Liliana told him, sounding shocked. "He broke into the school's forbidden library and read a lot about people who could travel between worlds. He... became more than interested in the prospect of leaving Ravnica for another plane that was more accepting of magic-folk."

"Ah, yes, I remember his case well." Sorin nodded. "Unfortunately, along with his expulsion, he wouldn't have been able to master such an art. He lacks such a spark that would ignite his ability to walk between worlds. But, more than that, the knowledge of planeswalking has been lost for thousands of years."

"What? H-how?" Jace asked. "That doesn't seem like something you can just forget."

"And as a mind mage you will understand when I say that anything can be made to be forgotten." Sorin corrected. "And that was one of the many facets of the Living Guildpact's curse."

"Why? Why in the world would he curse the place he wanted to protect?" Jace asked, sounding overwhelmed.

"It was upon losing the most precious thing to him that the Living Guildpact saw no point in trying to force back the forces of Nicol Bolas or trying to maintain peace on the plane of Ravnica. He was a man lost to madness, and all he desired was for us all to suffer as he suffered. So he cursed this plane and all those who were on it, starting with removing our knowledge of planeswalking, as well as each, individual spark. It was then that he proved much more powerful than any of us could have thought, seeing as he was able to bore even into the mind of Nicol Bolas himself and do the same to him.

"This gave rise to more panic, and naturally you can understand that hundreds of people who don't belong somewhere suddenly becoming unable to return home can cause quite a stir. Many lives were lost during that time- some of them taken by the Living Guildpact himself, who at that point had become nothing but a shell of his former self, harboring only anger and madness. He was eventually killed in hopes that it would reverse the effects of his spell, but he'd locked what he had taken away from us within the maze that lies below us and sealed it. And only he could reopen it and retrieve what he'd stored there.

"Chaos ensued for years following that event and, in the end, this caused the death of almost every planeswalker who had been brought to Ravnica to try and save it from ruin. The only two that survived and continue to survive are Nicol Bolas and myself."

"Wait, you said this was thousands of years ago. How are you still alive?" Liliana questioned.

"...The students at this school are quite the intuitive group, even if they don't realize it themselves. What's been widely regarded as a rumor is, in fact, plain and honest truth."

"So you _are_ a vampire!" Jace gasped accidentally, throwing a hand over his mouth shortly after speaking. Sorin chuckled, his outburst amusing him.

"You are correct, Jace, though unlike what people may lead you to believe I pose no threat to you. After thousands of years of being trapped here, I can more than honestly say I've developed a sense of subtlety in my feedings. Feeding on my own students would only bring bad publicity."

Jace couldn't help but feel a little more at ease.

"Nicol Bolas, on the other hand, is a dragon, whose species already have very impressive lifespans. But, the more powerful the dragon, the longer they live, and Bolas stands out as one of the most powerful dragon as well as one of the most powerful planeswalkers. He has enough power to fuel his state of living for a long, long while."

"So... what happened after all the other planeswalkers died?" Jace asked him. Sorin sighed heavily, as if he were suddenly exhausted.

"This was after years and years of mindlessly fighting, but even though we had come to oppose and despise one another we came to form a truce that would only be lifted once the maze had been opened and it's contents released." Sorin paused again. "And since then, we've bore witness to the other facets of the curse of the Living Guildpact."

"Like what?" Liliana dared to ask.

"The first thing I came to realize was that mana has slowly been vanishing from our plane. Over time, less and less mages began to appear, until they were the minority and feared by the regular human population as they are today. We have no idea where the mana has been going, but I have reason to believe it, too, is stored inside the maze." He stopped, noticing Jace, at least, frantically looking around, trying to be subtle. "The loss of mana is slow, something you wouldn't be able to observe in a regular human lifetime, but if you were to live, say, for centuries, you'd notice that magic is much more difficult to summon. Those headaches you suffer from, Jace, are the result of trying to draw from a depleted mana pool."

"What will happen if mana completely depletes?" Jace asked, sounding like he only half-wanted to hear the explanation.

"This world would become one without magic. Magical creatures such as elves and dragons would die out, and magic would cease to be. This, of course, doesn't concern me, unless mana and the presence of blood within humans are linked somehow without my knowledge. If this were simply the case, I wouldn't bother to act. But this truce between Bolas and I is nearing it's end, now that the maze has been unsealed. If I were to simply allow things to be, he could claim what's in that maze for himself and become even more powerful- so much he could rule over this plane and many, many others. And I refuse to have that."

"That's another thing I've been meaning to ask..." Jace said hesitantly. "You said the maze could only become unsealed by the Living Guildpact. How did I...?"

"You seem like you're on the verge of a breakthrough, but naturally you probably are much too skeptical to come to the conclusion yourself." Sorin shook his head. "It all relates to the final part of the curse. When people on this plane die, their souls remain trapped here, as if this place was a limbo, and they have no choice but to return to the realm of the living. As such, I have seen fallen warriors be reborn years after their deaths, unaware they lived, fought and died here previously.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you is where keeping an open mind will serve you best. It will sound unbelievable, but I ask for your trust. The Living Guilpact, the man who lived to protect Ravnica, who cursed this plane, was Jace Beleren. And the thing he lost that forced him into madness was his lover, Liliana Vess."

"W-what?! No!" Jace gasped, immediately refusing to believe what Sorin said. "That... that's..."

"Then explain to me how you managed to open a sealed maze that only Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, could reopen? I can make specific historical texts we have available to you if you want proof. Of course, you could always wait until Bolas makes his own presence known and asks you to run the maze for him. I'm sure when a dragon of his size and stature makes himself known to you, you'll be more than willing to believe what I've told you here."

Jace remained silent, staring down Sorin with a look that was riddled with confusion and mistrust. Liliana looked over to him, concerned, before looking to Sorin.

"I'm guess this is where you ask Jace to run the maze for _you_ then?" She asked in his stead.

"More or less. This is where I ask Jace to simply run the maze opposing Bolas. I have no immediate need for what lies in there. Should he reach the end of the maze and chose to reignite the spark of the planeswalkers, it will be only a slight convenience to me. It's not the most interesting life I lead, but I can continue living comfortably here, magic or no magic, for a long while. Should Jace choose not to run the maze and leave what has been sealed there to continue to rot within, magic will eventually become something that ceases to exist here and even Bolas will suffer in such a place. It's a win/win situation for me in the end."

Sorin approached the two of them until he was standing before Jace whose gaze was now focused on the crimson carpet of the dean's office.

"What you do after this point is your own decision, Beleren. It is your own destiny, not mine or Bolas'. Do what you believe is right for Ravnica, just like the Living Guildpact before you. It may seem like a heavy burden, but it's true when I say that the fate of this plane rests in your hands now. I'm only here to give you necessary information, not make decisions for you"

Jace continued to be voluntarily mute, refusing to meet Sorin's gaze.

"Thanks, we'll keep that in mind." Liliana spoke, grabbing Jace's arm. "May we be dismissed now?"

"If you're content with what you've learned, you're free to." Sorin nodded. "In the meantime, we'll have the main entrance blocked off until such time where I can come up with an explanation for it for the others. I suggest you keep an ear to the ground on the matter."

"Sure, sure..." Liliana muttered, tugging Jace in the direction of the door. He weakly followed after Liliana, looking over his shoulder to Sorin. Yanking away from her grip, he turned to face the dean, finally looking up into his eyes.

"...What would the old Jace Beleren have done?" He asked shakily.

"I don't think that matters." Sorin responded coldly. "You and him are one in the same, so whatever you choose to do is what he would choose to do."

"...Right..." Jace weakly nodded before turning and leaving with Liliana, casting one more look over his shoulder before the doors closed behind him.

"What now, father?" Avacyn asked. "Are we to truly put our fate in the hands of Jace Beleren as he is now?"

"I refuse to force the boy's hand in any direction, Avacyn." Sorin told her, returning to his seat behind the desk. The way he sat revealed he was a lot more bothered by the events that had transpired than he let on. "Jace Beleren made the decision to curse this plane, it will be Jace Beleren who will choose, in the end, to lift it or not."

"It seems, in the end, after all this time, we're still just slaves to fate." Avacyn sighed, looking to the door Jace and Liliana had left through.

"Everything is in your hands now, Beleren."

* * *

"Jace..." Liliana spoke after a considerable amount of silence as the two of them began to walk back (although to where was unclear). She nibbled at her lip as she considered her words. A gigantic set of news had just been dropped in their laps, so was it really all that wise to add something else? She took a deep breath, and then another, opened her mouth and closed it again.

She had to tell him- as much as she could, anyway. Jace deserved that much.

"Jace, there's something I need to tell you." She began, turning around to face Jace who had since been following behind her. "I'm-" She spun around to find Jace a ways behind, leaning on the wall for support with one hand clutching at his skull. "Jace!" She ran over to him, reaching him as soon as he slid to the floor. She dropped beside him, hands shaking, hovering just above him, unsure of what to do.

"Jace! What's wrong!?" She asked in a panic.

"Headache..." He moaned in agony. "I just... need my medication..." He looked up at her, trying to force a smile in attempts to make it appear he was okay. But, if her worried expression was anything to go by, chances were he didn't look too convincing. "I'll be... fine..."

Those were the last words he was able to utter before the world around him went dark.


	14. Tell Me the Truth

_Jace Beleren looked at the now-demolished city of Ravnica. The place he had come to call his home had fallen to utter ruin, destroyed by a war he tried and failed desperately to stop. He tried again and again to convince himself- and had been doing so since the beginning- that the events that had transpired had been out of his control, but he still felt more than a twinge of guilt for the whole ordeal. The guilds had originally turned to him when the dragon, Nicol Bolas, had descended upon their plane, and he'd been incapable of coming up with a decision. He'd called for help, but he proved a lot more formidable even against the planeswalkers who had answered his call and come to Ravnica's aid. Now Ravnica was a plane divided, and thousands upon thousands had lost their lives; all because he'd made the wrong choices in the beginning when people had turned to him for help._

" _Jace..." A worried voice called his name. Jace ignored her at first, choosing instead to brood. He knew what she was going to say- she'd suggested it over and over, and each time he had refused. "Jace!"_

"What _, Liliana?" He finally groaned in exhaustion as he turned to the necromancer standing at his back. She'd been one of the first to answer the call (she had her own reasons to oppose Bolas, or at least that's what she had said) and had since been by his side. Jace wished there was an appropriate time for him to thank her- a break in the constant battle where he could relax and make his gratitude towards her known. Without her, the constant fighting and crippling losses would have driven him mad. But that peace had yet to come._

" _Jace, we can't stay here!" She began to protest. Jace immediately turned his back on her before she could finish, but she went on talking, determined to finish. "This plane is doomed, you know that! There's no point in staying here. Bolas and his forces have yet to fall, even after everything you, the guilds and everyone else has thrown at him. Can't you see, you've given your all and it hasn't even broken his stride! There's no saving Ravnica, Jace!"_

" _No one is keeping you here, Liliana. If you think we're fighting a lost cause, then you're free to go." Jace darkly snapped, looking over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes. "I refuse to give up on Ravnica, not after all I've done. I have a purpose here!"_

" _And look what good you're doing now! The Living Guildpact: unable to do anything but gaze over a destroyed city and watch as countless die." Liliana snarled. "The guilds long since turned their backs on you, Jace! Not even the planeswalkers you brought here are bothering to look to you! I think they've all made it quite clear that they don't need you anymore, so why do you continue to stay!?"_

" _Someone like you wouldn't understand!" Jace shouted, his cloak billowing out behind him as he whirled around to meet her furious gaze. Her look of insulted surprise should have been a sign for him to stop- to apologize and leave the conversation to rot- but sleeplessness paired with helplessness and stress had long since driven Jace to become less of an empathetic man than he once had been. "Someone like you, who refuses to find value in anything or anyone, would never understand!"_

_Liliana staggered backward as if Jace's words had actually been a physical blow. She glared back at him, eyes full of anger and emotion she was holding back._

" _You think I don't understand? Do you really think I'm that heartless?" She hissed furiously. "Why do you think I came here, Jace!? I was on some other plane, far away from this madness, but the second I heard your voice I came here... you're the one who doesn't understand! You're so concerned about everything- the bigger picture- you never bother to look at what's right in front of your face!"_

_The two of them stared back at one another, nothing but the sounds of the fighting happening all around them to fill the air. Neither could dredge up a single word to say to the other, not having even enough energy to continue their argument._

" _You're ability to leave this place is still on the table, Liliana. No one is forcing you to stay here." Jace finally spoke, beginning to turn away from her. "Don't let your feelings for me lead you to stay here and potentially get yourself hurt. I don't want another loss of something I care for weighing me down."_

" _You can't tell me what to do, Jace!" Liliana began to shout before a loud, powerful rumble cut her off. The ground beneath them shook, enough to nearly knock both of them off their feet. The already destroyed city crumbled all the more to a chorus of screams both human and metal. Jace attempted to right himself, trying to reach for something to hold onto as he tried to find the source of the attack that had no doubt been launched. But as he did, he suddenly felt something push him from behind, forcing him forward. He tripped and stumbled only a few times before completely tumbling to the ground._

" _Shit!" He gasped as he quickly wrestled himself into an upright position and pulled back his hood as he quickly spun around to see what exactly had pushed him. And, as he did, his heart sank as the world itself seemed to stop. Every noise- every rumble, every scream, every yell- seemed miles away as he stood frozen, hoping- praying- he was seeing things. Any second now, he'd wake up, and all of this would be a horrible nightmare._

_But he didn't. The nightmare proved itself to be real, no matter how much he wished. The sight of Liliana- half her body under a mountain of fallen rubble- remained ever-present and crystal clear before his eyes._

" _L... Liliana..." He gasped, trying to force himself to move. But his body wouldn't obey- not his legs, or his arms or his eyes that continued to stare only forward. "Liliana!"_

" _J..." He heard her moan before coughing weakly. She was still alive- but not for long. The gods had granted him one last chance to speak to her- although it was just the chance to tell her goodbye._

" _Liliana!" He repeated her name as he finally found the strength to move again. He dropped to her side, hands hovering over her. A crimson pool slowly oozed out from under the rubble, meeting Jace's knees. "Liliana... why?"_

" _How... completely stupid..." She mumbled, slowly lifting her head, smiling like nothing was wrong despite the thick flow of blood flowing from her lips. "To think... after everything I've done..._ this _is how I die."_

" _Shh! Please, Liliana, don't speak! You'll only hurt yourself!" Jace urged, his words wavering and shaking as he rested one of his hands on top of hers._

" _It's okay... Jace... I don't feel anything. It... doesn't hurt." Liliana assured him. But Jace knew very well she wasn't in any pain- he'd made damn sure she wouldn't feel a single pin-prick as he reached into her mind and stopped her slowing mind from causing her to sense any pain at all. He held her mind desperately, feeling her slowly begin to fade. Thoughts, memories, and senses began to slip through his grip like sand._

" _Liliana... please... don't leave me!" He cried, gripping her hand tighter. "I need you here, please!"_

" _Jace... There's... something I need... to tell you..." She whispered. Her skin grew pale, and the light began to vanish from her eyes._

" _Lili..."_

" _Jace... I... I lo..." Before she could finish, Jace felt as her mind came to a halt, everything of value and importance completely bled dry from her thoughts. He stared down at her, eyes filled with tears as pained grunts and half-words escaping him. This... this couldn't be happening!_

" _No!" Jace shouted, sobbing desperately as he tightened his grip on her silent, empty mind and tried with all his might to try and draw something out of the darkness and hold it there. But, search as he might, there was nothing. No comforting thought, no memory of the time they'd spent together- nothing. But still he tried, exhausting himself as sweat began to drip from his brow as he tried to drag back the mind of what was now nothing but a corpse- an inanimate object. "You can't die! You can't! Liliana!"_

_Desperately he grasped her face and lifted it, but only found empty eyes staring back at him, blood dripping from her lips down her chin and neck in vivid red. With quivering, shaking hands he wiped the blood from her lips._

" _Please... you can't..." He sobbed, brushing his blood-dyed fingers along the soft skin of her face, leaving crimson trails. "I... I... I love you..."_

_In those moments, the Living Guildpact finally gave in to madness- his sanity leaving with the life of the person he cherished most. Nothing else mattered- no guild, or fellow planeswalker- not even the plane itself. The only thing that mattered was gone, and everything else could burn for all he cared._

* * *

Jace gasped sharply, feeling beads of sweat fly off his face as he sat up- only to run into something and immediately throw himself back in the opposite direction.

"Fuck!" A voice cursed as Jace nursed his aching head, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Liliana!" He gasped, opening his eyes and coming to find her sitting beside him, rubbing her own head and gritting her teeth in agony. Jace felt his entire being relax with relief as his gaze settled on her. Other than a possible injury from him accidentally headbutting her, she was fine. She was sitting beside him, breathing. Alive. Sitting up again he reached out, taking her hand. "Thank the gods!"

"W-What?" She looked back at him in confusion, but without removing her hand. Jace stammered, fumbling over his words as he tried to find reason for his relief.

"I... Sorry, I guess I... had a nightmare." He shook his head as he looked around where they were. It was hard to tell exactly, with the room bathed in darkness only broken by a pale ray of moonlight drifting in through a nearby window, but it looked like the school infirmary. A teakettle whistling somewhere in the darkness only proved those assumptions.

"A nightmare?" Liliana questioned as she left his bedside, head still cradled in her hand as she went to go quell the whistling. "What of?"

Jace opened his mouth to speak, but immediately drew back. The visions of the nightmare refused to fade or fizzle away. They were just as clear as if he'd actually experienced them, and it terrified him. He remembered especially clearly, the sensation of Liliana's mind slowly going out, like a flame blown out by the wind. He looked up at her, gazing at her through the darkness as she shuffled around, looking for cups, confirming she was still alive.

"...I... I couldn't tell... but... in it you..." He paused, his hesitation getting her attention as she gave up her search to look at him.

"I _what_?"

"You... died."

"Ah..." She responded surprisingly calmly as she went back to searching. Jace looked back at her in disbelief.

"That's all? You don't find it odd?"

"Not at all. Because it happened." Liliana spoke plainly, quietly cheering to herself victoriously as she finally came across cups hidden within one of the cupboards. "What you saw wasn't a nightmare. It was probably a memory. That sort of thing tends to happen when you're told about your... past."

"So... what I saw..." Jace muttered, the memory of what had happened earlier that night slowly coming back to him out of the haze. The things Sorin had told him, the things he'd apparently done when he was last alive, the doubt and the acceptance that followed all came flooding back, giving way to a headache not caused from having knocked heads with Liliana. "...It actually happened?"

"Unfortunately. You'll remember more and more now that you've been told." Liliana nodded as she returned, handing him first a mug of what Jace assumed was tea and then a bottle of what he came to find were his painkillers. "I have yet to remember my death. Maybe it's because that memory belongs to you."

"Wait, wait, hold on a second!" Jace interjected as he took the tea and medicine. "You talk like you already knew about all of this!"

"Not all of it. I've just known for a really long time that there was another Liliana Vess who lived and died before me. I didn't know about why, or what your involvement in it was... And despite how important I was to the Jace Beleren before you, I haven't found a single memory with him in them. So I've been in the dark about some things..."

"Well, you're certainly taking it pretty well."

"Opposed to the guy who _fainted_."

"Whatever, that doesn't change the fact you're _really_ calm. You were calm the entire time back at the dean's office." Jace continued. "...Why is that?"

"... Jace... I originally came to the dance tonight to tell you something. Naturally, I didn't get to tell you, but now I think it's fitting I share. I don't think it's very fitting we keep any more secrets from one another." She paused, taking a seat back on the bed and looked down at her own drink. She seemed to be searching for something, like what she wanted to share was floating somewhere in her tea. Her brow furrowed and she bit her lip, and Jace was seconds away from clearing his throat to urge her to continue before she finally spoke up again. 

"How old do you think I am, Jace?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just answer the damn question." She groaned, head rolling backward in frustration as she spoke.

"Fine, fine!" Jace sighed, taking a long look at her. "I mean, you look about my age... you hardly look more than a year or two older, if anything." Liliana sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"The news Sorin shared doesn't surprise me because, when you've been around for as long as I have, a lot of things just... stop surprising you." She spoke, a bitter smile on her face. "I've been around for well over a couple centuries, Jace. I've seen this world age and change without me while my aging process slowed until I remained the exact same. I've been this way for longer than a regular human should be alive."

"Wh-!" Jace exclaimed, mouth hanging open as he looked for any telling signs of aging on Liliana's face. Part of him wanted to call her out on it and call her a liar. But she sounded and looked so serious. And, after that night, he figured, he could believe just about anything, no matter how strange. "...H-how!?"

"You can thank the former Liliana for that." Liliana chuckled in defeat. "I was born a long, long time ago to a family who loved me... that is, until they came to find I was a girl possessed. Somehow, my body and soul were the property of two very powerful demons, and once they figured that out, they cast me out and I was forced to live my life on my own. I lived in fear of myself and the powers I'd been cursed with and so did everyone else. Discrimination against magic-folk had begun to take hold of society at the time, so I could find nowhere to go. No one would take in a girl who had the power to raise the dead- who was essentially possessed by demons even the most powerful, brave man would fear.

"I wound up figuring out my reason for being cursed from a traveling fortune teller when I was still a young girl. From what they were able to tell me, an ancestor of mine had given her soul up for youth and power, and died before she could fully pay her debt. I had no idea why the demons had chosen me to shoulder that debt, but at least I had my answer. It was then I began to notice I'd begun to age slower than everyone else. What the woman who had come before me wished for- youth and power- were also mine. I won't lie, I took advantage of both things to get by. I've done a lot of things I'm ashamed about even today to survive."

"So... how did you wind up here?" Jace asked. He'd completely forgotten about the meds Liliana had handed him and the headache they had been for.

"Well, I've been through here before, when this school was still new. I was intrigued by the fact that the City of Ravnica was a place made up of mostly magic-folk and was home to one of the first schools that catered specifically to mages and magical creatures. It was there I met Emmara who, when we met, was being harassed by a bunch of boys who were trying to woo her. After I did away with them, I became her body guard and eventually her friend even though I wasn't enrolled. I pretty much remained here until it came time for Emmara to graduate, and in that time she figured out about my condition and it only brought us closer together. She found the fact I didn't age and why to be both sad and fascinating and stuck around so she could have a human friend who hardly aged and so that I could have someone who understood who I could talk to.

"That being said, she chose not to enroll in the school's college program and instead chose to go to a regular college to study nursing. I couldn't just follow her from place to place, so we went our separate ways. I'd drop by every once in a while, mostly to tell her where I'd be so she could send me letters. We've been doing so until recently, when a letter came in the mail what wasn't from Emmara. It was from the academy, extending an offering for me to enroll. It seemed really hoaxy, but in the end it turned out to be true. My first year I befriended both Chandra and Gideon and in my second year I lost them. And that pretty much brings me to where I am today. Now I see I was probably brought here to fulfill Sorin's purposes of opening the maze. It makes a lot of sense, looking at it that way."

"But... how did you figure out there was another Liliana Vess?" Jace inquired. And, for once, Liliana didn't immediately respond. She hesitated, looking nervous and almost frightened, biting her lip. "...Liliana?"

"I just... figured it out for myself, that's all. If you look hard enough, you'll eventually find things out, right?"

"You're not... lying, are you?"

"Hey, if you think I'm lying, why not just read my mind?" Liliana suddenly snapped, going from furious to calm almost within seconds as she drew back. "Sorry... I just... I'm telling the truth, honest."

"I trust you, Liliana." Jace responded, giving her a reassuring smile as he reached out and took her hand.

"Well, look at you, being all bold just because we were lovers in a past life." Liliana snorted, not moving her hand from his grip. "Do you really think it's wise to repeat the things they did?"

"S-Sorry..." Jace said, beginning to pull away but stopping himself. "I do... love you, though." He could feel his cheeks heat up and he was sure, even in the darkness, Liliana could probably see him blushing.

"You've made that point pretty clear." Liliana chuckled, reaching out and resting her own hand on top of his. "And... I-"

"Yeah?" Jace leaned forward eagerly.

"Gods, down boy." Liliana groaned, immediately pressing her open palm against his face and pushing him right back. "What I was _going_ to say was I need to think about this a little. It's... a little hard to digest."

"Wait, let me get this straight." Jace muttered, gently taking her by the wrist and removing her hand from his face so he could speak clearly. "So figuring out all this stuff about past lives and reincarnation and there being a _maze_ beneath the school- that's okay and you can accept that. But the fact that I love you requires time for you to digest it?"

"The feelings of other people are a lot more complicated that even the grandest of schemes, Jace." Liliana sighed, sounding tired. "I'm not rejecting you, so calm down before you say something you'll regret. I... just need time is all."

Jace looked back at her, silence falling between them. His gaze slowly traveled down to the cup of tea he was holding before he sighed in defeat. It wasn't a rejection, but it still made him awfully nervous all the same. Liliana didn't really strike him as the type of person who would digest and think upon the feelings of other people. Still, it was best not to force a straight answer out of her.

"Alright..." He nodded, trying to give her his best, convincing smile. "You take all the time you need."

"... But... does everything I said not bother you at all?" Liliana asked, looking back at him nervously. "You know, the thing about the demons or the fact I'm much, _much_ older than you."

"Those things don't change who you are, though." Jace told her with a chuckle. "All those things make up the girl I fell in love with. And if it weighs things in my favor, I'll accept everything about you- the good and the bad."

"Gods..." Liliana shook her head, smirking. "That kind of thinking is going to get you hurt one day."

"Well that remains to be seen." Jace cocked an eyebrow playfully.

"Just drink your damn tea, Jace."


	15. What Have You Done?

"...Jace?" Someone calling his name and gently shaking him slowly pulled Jace from sleep. Mostly out of habit he pulled himself away, trying to escape back into his dreams and back into slumber. "Jace, goodness, wake up!"

"Nnng, I'm awake..." He mumbled, giving up being able to return to sleeping as he rolled back over and slowly opened his eyes. Leaning over him, looming in his line of vision was Emmara, looking down at him impatiently.

"E-Emmara? What are you doing here?" The elven woman rolled her eyes in response, heaving a sigh through her nose.

"This _is_ my office. I think the better question would be what you and Liliana were doing here." She responded, pulling away as Jace sat up, looking around the infirmary. Aside from him and Emmara, no one else was present. As if sensing his confusion Emmara continued to explain. "Liliana showed herself out when I arrived and told me specifically not to wake you. But, even if it is a weekend, it's nearly noon, so I think it's about time you got up."

"Sorry about all this... last night was a little... crazy." Jace attempted to explain as he slowly slid his legs over to the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure what he was and wasn't allowed to tell Emmara, so he was left with no other option to be painfully vague.

"Crazy, hmm?" Emmara raised an eyebrow, gazing down at him suspiciously as she cradled her chin between her thumb and forefinger thoughtfully. "Crazy like... how? Should I take those sheets to get washed?"

"Wh- Emmara, _no_!" Jace burst out, feeling his face grow warm. "We just talked till we fell asleep, that's all!"

"Sure, sure, 'talked'. I've been around the block more than you think, Jace, you don't have to lie to me." She smiled slyly.

"No, I'm serious, all we did was talk!" Jace defended.

"Oh, I see..." Emmara sighed.

"Gods, you're the school nurse, try not to seem so disappointed two students didn't screw on one of the infirmary beds please." Jace rolled his eyes, groaning softly as he rose from the bed and stretched.

"Well, at least tell me what did happen!" Emmara practically whined, hands on her hips. "Liliana's my friend, too, you know!" Jace sighed, getting at least a small bit of amusement from watching Emmara act up for once. He could, at the very least, tell her what happened at the very end.

"Fine, fine, since it means so much to you: I got a terrible headache and Liliana brought me here and... I told Liliana I liked her-"

"And!?" Emmara interrupted, drawing as bit too close.

"And she told me she had to think about it. I think I just sprung it on her at the wrong time." He finished, watching as Emmara's expression changed dramatically from expectant to deflated. "...Please try not to look so disappointed."

"Sorry, sorry... It's just Liliana's been so darn convinced that no one will ever really like her ever since we've met. She's a glass-half-empty kind of girl, so it's really exciting to finally see something like this happen in her life." Emmara shook her head. "I honestly shouldn't be surprised she didn't automatically accept your feelings. But she didn't reject you, so that's a start..."

"Emmara, do you, perhaps, moonlight as a matchmaker?" Jace joked.

"Of course not. I don't normally meddle in human affairs like this." Emmara spoke, sounding like she was holding back a bit of disgust. "Liliana's just my friend, is all. It's good to see things are finally starting to look up for her."

* * *

Chandra groaned as she woke up, a headache and wavering vision greeting her along with consciousness. She continued moaning and groaning, like some sort of unsatisfied animal, until she realized, sitting up and freeing herself from sheets, that she wasn't where she figured where she'd be: in her dorm room. Everything had seemed so familiar beneath the shade of covers, but now that she had surfaced, she came to find a whole new scenery greeting her. She would have panicked had she not immediately recognized the monstrous speaker system piled along one of the walls.

Oh, she was just in Gideon's room...

_Oh, she was just in Gideon's room!?_

Frantically whirling around in place she tried to figure out what she was doing there, but the longer she looked, the more frantic she became. Every detail in the room- every detail _period_ \- seemed to exist to force her deeper into a state of panicked surprise. Her head ached like she'd bashed it against a wall the night before and she had no memory of climbing into another man's bed. Her dress she'd worn the night before was draped over the sound system. She was down to her panties and bra. Everything was adding up in her head, and she really didn't like the answer she was coming up with. The only missing piece to the whole, scary puzzle was...

"Gideon!" She shouted, gasping sharply as his form suddenly rose from the floor. Groaning tiredly he looked around the room, like he, too, was trying to assess where exactly he was. He was dressed down to his boxers, and his hair was a mess, like he'd been tossing and turning all night. "Gideon, oh my gods!"

"Chandra?" He mumbled, half-lidded gaze turning to her. Squeaking in surprise, Chandra desperately gathered up the sheets and covered her nearly bare body with them. He didn't look at all as surprised or confused as she was- just incredibly exhausted. "Good, you're up."

"What did you do to me, you animal!?"

"Well, good morning to you, too, sunshine."

"Gideon, I'm serious!" Chandra shouted, trying to lean forward only to pull away and retreat back into the sheets that covered her. "What did we do last night!? Did... did we...?" If her face wasn't red before, she was sure now that it most certainly was. Gideon snorting didn't help. " _Gideon_!"

"Calm down, Chandra. Your virtue is still intact, if that's what you mean." He assured her between chuckles. "What kind of guy do you take me for?"

"The kind that brings a girl up to his room and strips her?" Chandra retorted in a hostile tone.

"You did that yourself."

"I- Wait a second, what?"

"You really don't remember a thing, do you?"

"If I remembered anything, do you think I'd be a little more calm?"

"You do have a point. I didn't really expect you to wake up and accuse me of rape, though." Gideon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Neither of us wanted to go back to the dance, and you didn't want to go back to your room, so I figured we could stay here until the dance was over or until you got bored."

"Okay, that part I... kind of remember..." Chandra admitted, struggling to pull memories from her mind that weren't fuzzy or things she wasn't sure had been reality or crazy dreams.

"Well, you started leafing through my things, which I kindly asked you not to, but then you found my flask of whiskey I keep hidden under my bed. Maybe the events of last night made you a little more bolder, but I didn't expect you to drink it. You downed about half of it before I took it back from you."

"Oh gods..." Chandra moaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Please tell me I was a graceful, soft-spoken drunk."

"The first thing you did was strip."

"Okay, maybe it's best I just stay in the dark about the things I did. If that's how things _started_ I don't want to know what I did after throwing off my clothes."

"You tried to seduce me."

" _Gideon_!"

"It was actually really cute, even if you vomited in the middle of it."

"I don't think you understand what 'I don't want to know' means!" Chandra groaned, burying her face into the sheets in shame. "No more, I get it! I'll never touch alcohol for the rest of my natural life, okay!? Just have some damn mercy!"

"Alright, alright, I'll save the rest of what you did when you need to be teased a little." Gideon laughed, gaining a warning glare from Chandra. He could see the threat in her eyes that she could burn all that was precious to him and reduce it to ashes. Her eyes flicked over to his speakers as if to wordlessly state, " _starting with those_ ". "Ooor not. Maybe it's a secret best kept to myself."

"Yeah, maybe." Chandra growled.

"Hey, as far as anyone is concerned, last night didn't happen." Gideon assured her, his chuckling a little more nervous as he sat beside her, reaching out and ruffling her already tussled hair. She groaned in an unsatisfied manner, but did nothing to attempt to pull away.

"I don't know... I'm pretty sure a lot of what happened last night isn't going to go away any time soon... if you recall." Gideon mentioned nervously. Chandra stared forward thoughtfully before resting her face in her hands and muttering angrily to herself. "H-Hey, it forced a confession out of me, if that changes anything."

"That doesn't change the fact that Jace pretty much used me." Chandra grumbled. "He kissed her right in front of me, Gideon. He's the lowest of the low- the worst!"

"So does that mean you're going to ostracize him, too?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Look, what Jace did makes him a really big asshole- I get it. I might give him a good punch next time I see him, but he's our friend." Gideon told her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "After last night's little display, he's probably going to catch a lot of crap. And what he did ultimately resulted in something good- at least as far as I'm concerned. I know you're rightfully pissed at him, and I'll let you have a whack at him when the time comes, but he's our friend. I'm not telling you not to be mad at him, just don't treat this as reason to turn our backs on him. If anyone deserves a second chance, I'm sure Jace is our man."

"Ugh... fine." Chandra grumbled, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I'm still going to give him such a burn on his ass, it'll hurt for him to sit down for weeks."

"Hey, whatever doesn't kill him..."

"...Speaking of Jace, isn't he your roommate?" Chandra questioned. "I mean, I'm glad he wasn't here for last's nights display but... don't you think he should have come back by now?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I figured he'd be back and we'd have to explain ourselves by now." Gideon agreed. "I mean, you are half naked in his bed."

" _What_?"

"Gods, Chandra, calm down! It's not like you slept with the guy, just in his bed." Gideon chuckled. Chandra did nothing but groan, shaking her head in displeasure.

"Man, our first night as a couple and I fall asleep half-naked in another man's bed..."

"Definitely a story to tell the kids..." Gideon said absentmindedly before catching himself and quickly backtracking. "Y-You know... on the off chance we... well... have kids..." By the time he finished he was looking in the opposite direction, possibly to keep from catching whatever odd look Chandra was giving him, or maybe to hide the fact his cheeks had gone completely red.

"Yeah, slow down there a bit, Jura. Get back to me on that when we're older and capable of making that kind of decision." Chandra snorted, rolling her eyes and reaching over to ruffle Gideon's hair. "Now keep looking away, I need to grab my dress and I don't want you oogling me in my underwear."

"But-" Gideon started to turn around, only to have Chandra's hand hold it in place, pushing it back into the position it had been in.

"Hey, just because I get all crazy and loose when I'm drunk doesn't mean I'm completely without shame. Now be a gentleman and don't stare!"

"I can't make any promises."

"I will melt your sound system before you have a chance to scream 'no'."

"Wow, look at that, I'm suddenly the master at keeping promises!"

"Good boy. I've got you trained real good." Chandra chuckled as she slowly slipped off the bed. She peered over her shoulder as she made her way to the sound system, making sure several times Gideon was living up to his word and keeping his head turned away from her nearly-nude form. Part of her was glad, and part of her was disappointed.

"Obedient 'till the end, huh?"

"What?"

Before Chandra could either repeat herself of shrug off what she had just said, the door the room suddenly opened. Both Gideon and Chandra froze up, watching as it opened to reveal Jace, tiredly rubbing his eyes and not quite aware there was a half-naked girl standing in the middle of his dorm room. It didn't take long though, however, for him to notice.

"C-Chandra!" He gasped, his face immediately taking on a deep-red hue. "Wh-what are... Gideon... you..."

"J-Jace!" Chandra shrieked, attempting to feebly cover herself, also blushing heavily. In fact they all were as Chandra fidgeted in a panic, Jace tried to decide if he wanted to run, hide or just stay paralyzed in the doorway and Gideon sat on Jace's bed, uttering noises that were probably meant to be the beginnings of words.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-" Jace began, unintentionally taking a step inside. And that was the only step he got to take as Chandra bellowed what might as well have been a war cry and surged forward, swinging.

* * *

"And _that_ is why I have a black eye." Jace groaned, hand over the still-injured side of his face as him and Liliana walked slowly down the incredibly crowded school hallway.

The crowds were unusually thick that day, seeing as traffic was being redirected away from the main entrance that was usually where most students walked through on their way to their classes. Both of them had been considerably late to every class simply because one room out of the entire school had been blocked off. They of course knew why, but to everyone else, things had been set up to make it appear that construction was currently being done to the entrance way. So far, no one had questioned it. Complained, of course, over the inconvenience of it being blocked off, but no one questioned the fact that construction heavy enough for the entire room to be unusable had just rose up in a single weekend.

"She really punched you?" Liliana asked, trying to contain much more boisterous laughter. She'd already laughed enough when they'd met up in the library that day- and although such outbursts of joy were rare from the girl Jace really hadn't appreciated it. It was best, she had decided, after that, to keep her laughter in check.

"With every ounce of strength she had, yes." Jace sighed, rolling his one good eye.

"Well... I'm happy for her and Gideon. After all these years she's finally given into his poor, poor advances." Liliana smirked. "I was starting to wonder if Chandra was just secretly blind or something."

"She's just not good at taking in the whole picture, that's all." Jace shrugged as the two of them followed the traffic of bodies outside and broke off from the herd. Neither of them had classes for a considerable amount of time, and Jace had insisted they not spend their free time in the library that day. It had taken some coaxing, but eventually Liliana went along with his plans after checking out several thick books on necromancy and the occult.

"So... why were you so insistent about us coming out here?" Liliana asked in a tone that was both curious and annoyed. "I stay in the library to avoid as many people staring daggers into me as possible, thank you very much..."

Jace had to admit, maybe taking Liliana away from the confines of the library after what they had done at the dance may have been a bad idea. Everyone had been staring and whispering wherever they went, and he wasn't sure about Liliana but all of his classmates had accosted him with questions about that night and whether or not he was insane or treasured his social life.

"Sorry it's... just such a nice day, I figured-"

"You're a horrible liar Jace- I can tell and I'm not even a mind reader." Liliana cut him off. "After the dance, I think I've had my fill of you going ahead and doing things without telling me about them first."

"Alright, alright, I'll explain myself. Just... come over here for a second and I'll explain." He took her by the hand and pulled her towards one of the benches that littered the school campus. It sat beneath one of the older, taller trees that had begun to shed it's leaves onto the lawn. Liliana heaved a frustrated sigh through her nose as she allowed herself to be pulled with just a little bit of trouble- at the very least tugging back on his arm as her legs propelled her forward.

"I'm just itching to hear the answer to this one." Liliana muttered as they stopped beneath the tree and Jace took her other hand. Liliana looked down at their hands, Jace's hands feeling more like restraints than anything. "What do you have up your sleeve this time? If you try and kiss me again, I'm going to give you a black eye to match the other one."

I-I promise, I won't- not without your permission!" Jace nodded nervously. "I just... there's something that's been weighing on my mind lately... I just feel it needs to be addressed."

"Uh-huh..." Liliana spoke impatiently.

"I remember... what you told me back when I brought you to my dorm... you know, about your side of the story with Chandra and Gideon?" Jace asked, but Liliana only answered with chilling silence, silently urging him on sharply. "I'm sure they would understand if you just told them- a lot of this happened because you guys refused to communicate after Chandra's brother got expelled."

"I really don't like where this is going, Jace." Liliana said in a warning tone, raising an eyebrow. "Look, I'm sure you have good intentions, but I'm fine with what's become of me, Chandra and Gideon. You know what I am... you know it's better I keep as few friends close as possible..." She looked up, noticing that Jace probably hadn't even been paying attention as he peered over her shoulder, looking a mixture of happy and nervous. Groaning loudly in frustration she looked over her own shoulder, noticing what- or who was behind her.

The first thing she saw were the familiar eye's full of anger and glowing embers- the all-too-familiar look Chandra saw fit to give her every time they somehow managed to lock eyes. Gideon wasn't a problem- he just stood statue still and looked wildly uncomfortable, caught in the crossfire- but Chandra glared back at Liliana and Jace (although mostly Liliana) like she hoped that looks could possibly, finally kill. Jerking out of Jace's grasp, Liliana whirled around, every muscle in her body aching to aid her in running away.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Chandra growled in a hostile tone. "Just because you're all smoochy-smoochy with her doesn't mean we have to stand her presence, too."

"I'm sorry I wasn't clear with any of you, but I feel if we all just sit down and talk we can work things out!" Jace spoke frantically, practically leaping between Chandra, who was slowly closing in, and Liliana, who was standing cautiously still. "I'm sure if you actually told them your side of the story, Liliana-"

"Not a chance!" Chandra snapped. Jace turned to her in surprise. "I refuse to listen to anything that bitch has to say! She can talk all she wants, but no sob story or fitting explanation is going to bring my brother back! It's her fault he's gone, there's no going around that." She paused, looking Liliana right in the eyes with a look that, in any other context, might have been murderous. "I refuse to associate myself with traitors."

"Chandra, hold on a second-!" Jace attempted to stop her, but she pulled away and began immediately to walk away.

"Come on, Gideon, I can only stand to be in her presence so long before I start burning things."

Gideon looked nervously between Jace, Liliana and Chandra. Giving the necromancer a troubled, mistrusting look and Jace an apologetic one, he hurried after Chandra, never once saying a word.

"Hey, wait a second!" Jace urged, but as he did, he felt himself being pulled back by the shoulder and forced to spin around. He them felt the sting of a hand slapping against his cheek. Grunting in pain, he could do nothing but take the blow.

"L-Liliana!" He gasped, pulling away and holding his hand to his cheek. She glared at him, eyes filled with emotion she was holding back from possibly becoming tears.

"Don't you _ever_ put me through something like that again!" She snapped. "Just because you're friends with them and with me doesn't give you the right to meddle in our affairs!"

"But-"

" _But nothing, Jace!_ " She shouted. "This isn't a problem you should just worm your way into, okay? You aren't even apart of it, so don't go thinking that sitting down and talking can solve anything! You saw the way she looked at me..." Liliana turned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. "We're way past being able to talk things out anymore..."

"Because you haven't tried-"

"Just _shut up_ , Jace!" Liliana cut him off sharply, refusing to look back at him. "Just... shut up and leave me alone."

"Liliana, I'm sorry!"

"I bet you are." She growled, starting to walk away. Jace began to pursue her, but immediately stopped himself, arm half outstretched to stop her, unspoken words dancing on and stinging his tongue. He only realized then, as he watched Liliana walk angrily away, arms wrapped around herself in a way that was painfully defensive, that he'd overstepped his bounds. And now he'd stepped on a land mine and he wasn't sure how or if he or anyone else around him would recover.


	16. The Bonds We Share

Jace pulled away from his school work, giving up on even attempting to try and concentrate. He'd been attempting to concentrate on anything other than what had happened that afternoon for hours, and he'd only managed to stress himself out and give himself a headache. For the briefest of moments he'd considered going to Emmara- hopefully for some sort of guidance, but he didn't even want to speak about it with anyone. He didn't want to be faced over and over again with how foolish he had been. What good would come from telling her anyway? What good would it do telling anyone?

Groaning, he rested his head on his desk against his untouched homework. He should have seen all of what had happened coming. He should have been smarter than this. He should have seen and should have done thousands of other things, and his head had been swimming with them the moment Liliana had left him with a welt on his cheek that even now still stung. And, just like always, he'd chosen the route that caused the most amount of trouble- not just for him, but for everyone.

"Why do I always mess everything up?" He asked himself, turning over to look over at his phone. He'd contacted not just Liliana, but Chandra and Gideon as well. None of them had responded. It seemed that everyone saw it fit to ignore him. "...Why does Jace Beleren... always mess everything up?" He frowned, closing his eyes.

Since the dance, he'd only gotten to see a handful of visions from the past Jace Beleren, but only his blunders and mistakes. Maybe that's all he ever did, right up until the end. Was the same fate in store for him?

The sound of the dorm room door opening tore him from his musings, causing him to sit up and lean back in his chair to see who it was- nearly falling backward in the process. It was Gideon who, judging by his face, either hadn't expected Jace to be there or had, and was uncomfortable being in his presence. He even expected him to just immediately back off and leave, but instead he continued in, gently closing the door behind him. He took his sweet time entering the room, however, choosing instead to linger near the entrance as the two of them stared one another down in silence.

"Gideon, I'm sorry-" Jace began before Gideon raised his hand, wordlessly asking for Jace not to continue. He obeyed, albeit begrudgingly, frowning as he forced himself to hold back words.

"I know you're sorry, Jace, and I'm pretty sure what you did today wasn't out of spite. You're not that kind of guy, you just... don't really think things through very well." Gideon sighed, finally venturing into the room and sitting down on his bed in an exhausted fashion.

"So I've realized..." Jace muttered, turning his chair around to face his friend. "What about Chandra? I'm pretty sure she's still pissed off, but..."

"She's fine. I just got back from talking to her..." He chuckled in a tired fashion, shaking his head. "I swear, I've been to training camps easier than trying to calm Chandra down. Anything having to do with Liliana really strikes a chord with her."

"Chandra must have really loved her brother, huh?"

"Well... it's a little deeper than that..." Gideon began.

"Her love for her brother?"

"Jace, gross, no! Her... well, _our_ mistrust in Liliana. I mean, she got Chandra's brother expelled, and didn't seem to have a reason why, and that alone was enough to stir things up. But back then she was still our close friend, so we confronted her about it. We'd hoped she'd had a reason, like maybe Azorius had forced her hand or blackmailed her. We had a lot of hopes, but when we finally confronted her..." Gideon's expression suddenly went sour.

"What? What did she say?" Jace asked insistently.

"She said she'd only befriended me and Chandra to get closer to Chandra's brother and to find out what he was up to. According to her, she'd been working with Azorius from the start." Gideon explained darkly, looking more and more upset with each passing second. "We'd never been her friends- just pawns in her plan to find out what Chandra's brother had been doing."

"Th-That isn't true!" Jace exclaimed. "She told me something completely different! There's no way she was telling you the truth then!"

"How can you be so sure, Jace?" Gideon questioned. "How can you be so sure she wasn't just lying to you?"

"Because I-" Jace began, only to cut himself off and draw back. There were only so many things Jace could tell him, and so many more things he wasn't sure were safe to share. If he actually went ahead and explained why it was he trusted Liliana, he'd most likely only come across as insane. "I... I just trust her..."

"Well that makes one of us, Jace." Gideon shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you who you should and shouldn't like- that's your own business. But unless you somehow bring about a miracle just... don't expect me and Chandra to trust her only because you and her are so close now."

* * *

"Jace! What brings you here so early?" Emmara looked up from a book she was reading, as happy as always to see Jace as he walked into the infirmary, looking around the room. "Headache?"

"No... well yeah, but nothing I need medication for _yet_..." Jace explained, feeling his heart sink when he came to find the school nurse was alone. "I'm just..." He stopped, shaking his head. "Liliana hasn't stopped by recently, has she?"

"Lili? No, can't say she has." She said thoughtfully. "Why, did something happen?"

"...More or less..." Jace shrugged. "I may have possibly overstepped my bounds yesterday."

"How so?"

"You mean Liliana hasn't told you?" He questioned. "Out of everyone, I figured she'd at least mention something to you."

"Can't say that she has. I actually haven't seen her since yesterday morning. I made a cup of tea for her today, just in case, but she hasn't shown." Emmara placed her book on the desk behind her and turned to Jace with a look filled with concern. "What exactly happened? Are that and Liliana's absence connected?"

"I... don't want to think so, but what I did was probably the cause." Jace admitted guiltily. "I tried to instigate something between Liliana, Gideon and Chandra. I figured if they could just sit down and explain what had happened, maybe they could work things out. Turns out that wasn't... the smartest thing to do."

"Did you tell any of them you were going to try and do such a thing?"

"Well, no- but only because they would have refused outright! I guess I wanted to eliminate the middleman and just have them all show up at the same place." Jace groaned, pressing his fingers to his forehead. Maybe he would end up needing that medication after all. "I guess I didn't expect the immediate, violent backlash."

"W-what happened?"

"Well it ended with me getting slapped, if that's any indication." Jace explained. "Liliana made it pretty clear what I did was pretty stupid."

"Goodness, we _are_ in a pickle, aren't we?" Emmara sighed. "And I doubt you meant for things to go south-"

"Of course I didn't mean for things to go south! I really thought they'd be able to talk things out, but I guess they already tried that a long time ago. Apparently Liliana fed them some lie about how she'd used them all to sniff out Chandra's brother and that she never was their friend. I didn't figure out about any of this until after the fact, of course..." Jace paused. "Frankly I don't even know what to believe anymore. Is what Liliana told me really what happened... or is she lying. She can do it so seamlessly... to say that it worries me is a sick understatement."

"Lili has no reason to lie to you, Jace. Make no mistake, you're someone who she holds very dear. She only ever lies to protect people, I guess you could say. She probably knew that, if she remained on good terms with Gideon and Chandra that they might end up as bait again in some other guild's scheme. She probably saw it best to keep them at a distance to keep them out of danger.

"Before the incident at the dance, she'd constantly come to me, telling me she felt bad about keeping you in the dark about her... condition. You're the only person I've known who she feels bad about keeping things from. And, frankly, if you're so worried, you could just read her mind."

"I do, mostly to escape the noise of everything else. Her thoughts are quiet, Emmara. They only reflect exactly what she says and does, nothing else." Jace told her, looking troubled.

"Then why have any doubts at all. Shouldn't that mean that she's being truthful?"

"Well yeah- and in the beginning I saw no problem with it. But now... the silence is unsettling. I start to wonder if there's something there I can't see or hear. I want to delve in deeper- to find something passed the silence, but at the same time I'm afraid to." Jace went on, beginning to pace without realizing it. "There's no reason for me not to trust her... but I can't help it when the whole rest of the world is trying to convince me not to."

"Hmph, well that settles it!" Emmara suddenly spoke up, possibly fed up with how gloomy Jace had become. Jace couldn't help but jump, looking to the elven woman in surprise. She had some sort of motivation in her eyes- but to do what he wasn't exactly sure. "If Liliana refuses to show up, we'll simply have to go to her."

"I... I don't know... maybe she doesn't want to see anyone-"

"Well too bad for her, then." Emmara spoke sternly, folding her arms. "We all make mistakes Jace, and that is all that this little mishap is: a mistake. You didn't do anything wrong on purpose, or try to make Liliana or anyone else upset. All you're doing now, just wallowing in your misery, is only dragging you down. All this youthful melodrama..." She clicked her tongue, brow furrowed. It occurred to Jace then this was probably the first time he'd ever seen Emmara looking legitimately annoyed. He felt it incredibly unwise to put down her suggestion a second time.

"Alright, fine, I'll go."

"We'll go!" Emmara corrected.

"Wait, _we_?" Jace questioned. "Y-You don't have to come. I mean, this is a problem between me and Liliana."

"You've seen Liliana upset, I'm sure. Believe me when I say that it will take more than just a little talking to in order to calm her. You two may have something special between you, but I've known Liliana much longer than you have, Jace. And if it's one thing I've learned how to do over the years, it's quell her anger." She paused, taking a moment to laugh victoriously. "That and you have no idea where Liliana even lives. You have no choice but to bring me along."

"You just want to come along because you want to see me and Liliana together. Honestly, you're starting to treat us like some sort of investment you've made." Jace sighed, not outright refusing Emmara's presence.

"And like most investments I wish to see it pay off." Emmara said, not an ounce of shame in her voice. "My only wish here is to see my friend happy, and you're more than likely the boy to make her happy, so long as you don't give into your mistakes and start doubting yourself and her like you've been doing." She turned away from him and to her desk where she began organizing a stack of papers and folders that her reading material and Jace had formally taken precedence over. "Now run off to class before you're late. If Liliana decides to continue to play hookie, meet me here after school."

"Right..." Jace nodded, beginning to turn to leave. But before he could, Emmara turned back around to face him, a disarmingly kind look on her face now that stopped him.

"You've got a good thing going for the both of you, Jace. I think it would be wise if you take extra care to keep it that way."

With that said, she turned back to her work, silently dismissing him. Jace opened his mouth to speak before he realized he had nothing to say. Of course he knew he and Liliana had a good thing going. Of course he wanted to take extra care. But his doubts had somehow even managed to frustrate even Emmara. Maybe he knew less than he had originally thought.

Thoughts absolutely swimming, Jace left the infirmary- only to be stopped a moment after by something colliding with his gut. Trying his hardest not to keel over, he allowed only a pained, strained groan to escape him as he folded forward slightly.

"Oh, shit, sorry, I didn't mean to hit you, I just wanted to stop you!" He recognized the voice almost instantly as belonging to Chandra. He looked up at her from where he slouched, catching the apologetic look in her eyes that immediately shriveled and died once he acknowledged it. Formally having been hovering over him, she straightened up, forcing an aloof look that was only half-convincing. "I mean... you really should have looked where you were going, though. And, not going to lie, you kind of deserved it, after that shit you pulled yesterday."

"Yeah, I was hoping I'd run into you to tell you I was sorry..." Jace muttered, slowly standing up straight, keeping his arms folded over where Chandra accidentally (or maybe not, he wasn't sure) struck him. "I was honestly expecting things to turn out... _differently_."

"Well, serves you right for jumping to conclusions like that." Chandra harrumphed before sighing, giving up the ghost of trying to stay as angry with Jace as long as possible. "Look, me and Gideon talked, and yeah, I guess you were a little ill informed about our situation with Liliana- though I _thought_ it was pretty damn obvious from the start. I don't give very many people chances, so you better consider yourself lucky."

"Oh, gee, I feel so honored." Jace retorted sarcastically. Chandra glared at him. "I take it this is your way of accepting my apology."

"More or less..." Chandra mumbled. "But next time don't think I'll let you off so easy! Next time you screw up, I'll have you tasting nothing but ash and regret for the rest of your life."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Jace chuckled. "And thanks... I really needed that."

"What, getting clothesline'd in the stomach?" Chandra asked, holding up a fist in a rather threatening way. "Because, yeah, I think you did, too."

"What- no, I... never mind. Just... Thanks."

"Don't mention it, dork." Chandra smirked as the two of them began to go separate ways. But before Jace could go any further, Jace paused mid-step before sweeping back around to face Chandra.

"Hey, Chandra, wait a second!" He called. She immediately came to a halt, slowly turning to him with a look of surprise on her face. She probably hadn't expected for him to call out to her.

"...Yeah?"

"Give me back my wallet."

* * *

"This is the place." Emmara called over her shoulder to Jace who followed shortly behind her. She'd led him to a small, decently kept apartment complex that was on the cusp of a bearable walk and a long trek away from the school campus. "The place" was an apartment on the second floor of one of the many small groupings of apartments in the small labyrinth of buildings that made up the complex. Dark shades were drawn over the windows, hiding whether or not anyone was home.

"Do you think she's even there?" Jace asked, trying to find a window that wasn't covered. "It doesn't look like she's home."

"It's always like this. Liliana likes her privacy." Emmara explained as she led the way up the stairs to the door. "She's probably just moping around, just like you were." Arriving at the door, she looked to Jace in an almost worried way before knocking lightly. They both waited several long seconds in silence before she knocked again.

"Lili? You home?" Emmara called. No answer came, and after a few more knocks Emmara was now banging on the door.

"She probably doesn't want to be bothered, Emmara. Let's just-" Before Jace could finish, the sound of the door slowly creaking open cut him off. Emmara stepped backward, just as surprised as Jace was.

"Did you-?"

"No, I didn't. It just... opened." She explained. "It must have been unlocked."

"A little unsafe, don't you think?" Jace pondered as Emmara peaked into the apartment. "E-Emmara!"

"What? It's her fault for leaving it open." She shrugged as she opened the door wider. "And better us than a burglar or some other criminal."

"But don't you think we're sort of invading her privacy, just letting ourselves in?" Jace asked, but got no answer as Emmara let herself in. "Emmara!" Nervously, he looked around, making sure no one else was watching before entering into the apartment himself.

The layout of the living room and kitchen was open, leaving nothing to hide- not that there was much to even hide. The decorating was painfully simple- painfully temporary looking. Only the necessary things were set out and of what things there were, there were few. No pictures hanging on the wall or trinkets or odd little decorations left out to see. A couch, a liberally used coffee table, an old TV- everything was neat, clean and free of clutter. Jace would have been lying if he said he wasn't surprised. He didn't expect such neat living quarters, not even close.

"She sure likes to keep things tidy." He noted. Emmara nodded, slowly looking around the room. The look in her eyes seemed nostalgic and almost worried. Part of him wanted to pry and part of him wanted to remain in the dark as to why Emmara looked so troubled.

"Yeah... it's a habit of hers..." She spoke softly, heading to the one door at the far edge of the apartment. The door, unlike the rest of the apartment, had been painted roughly black. Clearly whoever had painted it had no concerns for neatness, seeing as there were spots and traces of paint around the wall and on the door hinges and dry, black paint spots on the carpet. This door was a lot more like what Jace expected. This was more like the Liliana he knew.

"Liliana? Are you in there? It's Emmara, your door was open..." Emmara called softly. "I'm coming in whether you keep on giving us the silent treatment or not." She waited a few seconds she seemed to visibly be counting. Jace could feel her anxiety, something that was a bit too extreme for just walking into a friend's apartment. There was something she wasn't telling him, something just below the surface that he could easily pluck from her: the reason why Emmara could only bring herself to count to three before swearing in a voice that Jace could hardly hear and opening the door.

Now this was a little more of what Jace had been expecting. The walls, like the door, had been painted black- a job that looked like it took whoever had done it only an hour or two before they either decided they'd done enough damage or gave up. The bed was left unmade, a small collection of books buried in the sheets. In fact, there were a lot of books in addition to those. Books stacked along bookshelves, on the old desk up against the wall, along the windowsill – everywhere there was a surface, there was a book. Old books, new, glossy books, books that looked like they would dissolve into dust if you handled them roughly. A collection of books that no normal person could accumulate in their lifetime. This was a collection of someone who had lived a lot longer than most.

"I knew Liliana liked reading, but this..." Jace spoke in awe. "This is impressive."

"Most of what Liliana owns is books. The furniture outside is just stuff I lent her when she moved in..." Emmara muttered, running her hands delicately over a stack of books. "She tries to keep as little things as she can aside from her books."

"Emmara... what's wrong?" Jace finally brought himself to pry. "You've been worried ever since we came in here. There's something you're not telling me."

"How polite of you not to just pry it out of my mind..." Emmara sighed, pulling her hand slowly away from the books and holding it, like she'd been burned. "Though I always worry about Liliana... I worried about her most while I was going through college and started working here. She moved from place to place, hardly spending even months in some places. She said to me in our letters we exchanged that she would grow tired of everywhere she went- that the world was old and tired to her now. She was spending less and less time in places, settling down in more and more places for short periods of time. Sometimes, she'd send me one letter from one location, and then in a month, she'd send me another from a completely new place."

"Emmara... what are you saying?" Jace asked, his voice twinged with worry. Emmara wrapped her arms around herself, shaking her head.

"I don't mean to alarm you, Jace. Maybe I'm just overreacting, you shouldn't pay what I say any mind."

"Emmara, please!"

"I fear Liliana has grown tired of this place, and has moved on!" Emmara shouted, turning to him with her eyes brimming with emotion. "I'd grown so eager because you and her had grown so close. I finally thought she had found something worth... staying for. That's why I was so invested in your feelings for her... your relationship."

"No..."

"I'm sorry, I'm... ignore me! Like I said, I'm probably overreacting. But at least you know the reason for all my meddling now." Emmara laughed uneasily, wiping at her eyes. "Liliana's probably just... wandering around somewhere. It's irrational of me to jump to conclusions. She wouldn't leave behind items that were so precious to her. These books have traveled with her for years, she wouldn't give them up." She looked up at Jace, the most plastic of smiles on her face.

"Don't mind me. It's just in my nature to worry, even if it is over the dealings of humans." She assured him, though her voice wavered. Normally, people wouldn't pick up on such tiny, minute details, but Jace saw and heard them as if Emmara had been screaming. In her mind, she might as well have been. "I think we've spent enough time invading Liliana's privacy. We should probably go."

The entire way back to campus, Emmara could give him nothing but reassurances and apologies for her apparently overreacting. But Jace could feel it, right below her smile she tried so hard to keep and her tone that she somehow managed to keep level. She was worried on a level that shook him to his core.

Had Liliana really, truly left? Had she grown tired of this place- of him? Part of him just wanted to block everything out and believe all of Emmara's positive words she kept piling and piling on until they parted ways. However, no matter how much he attempted to buy in to what she had to say, he couldn't forget the worry in her eyes when they'd been in Liliana's apartment and the wavering tone of her voice when she had spoken.

"Try not to worry, Jace. I'm sure she'll be back." Emmara assured once again just as they began to separate- Emmara back to her office and Jace back to the dormitories. "Try not to lose sleep over it, everything will be just fine, I promise."

"Right..." Jace nodded, trying his best not to seem at all as bothered as he was. "I'm sure she'll be back tomorrow."

* * *

"Wow, eating in the cafeteria for a change? I don't think I've ever actually seen you eat here!" Jace looked up from the book he'd been half reading and the sandwich he hadn't even touched, coming to find Chandra and Gideon flanking him on both sides. "What brings you here with the rest of us?"

"Just... figured I could use a change of pace." He shrugged as they sat beside him, Chandra moving around behind him so that she could sit beside Gideon. That was the only thing he could say that wasn't a blatant lie. He _did_ need a change of pace from sitting alone in the library, waiting the entire lunch period for Liliana to show.

It had been three days since Jace and Emmara had gone to Liliana's apartment. Three days where Liliana had refused to show up to school, answer any texts or pick up any phone calls. It was as if she had vanished completely and Jace seemed to be the only one who cared. That and Emmara, but she was more concerned with acting like Liliana's disappearance wasn't bothering her as much as it actually was. Every day it was always the same.

_"Give her time, I'm sure she'll be back."_

"A change of pace from what? Don't tell me you and Liliana are having a fight." Gideon said in a voice that only seemed half concerned (given that he wasn't a big fan of one of the two in the party he'd mentioned, it made a bit of sense).

"N-Not exactly..." Jace shook his head.

"Well whatever it is, keep it to yourself." Chandra muttered, mouth full of fries. "You're our friend, Jace, make no mistake, but when it comes to stuff involving Liliana, you can just leave us out. I don't like having to feign interest in stuff that involves her."

"Chandra..." Gideon hissed.

"What, it's true. Even you probably wouldn't be able to bring yourself to care about their relationship problems." Chandra continued her tirade. "I don't care who's involved, but if it has to do with her I don't want to hear it. The less I hear about Liliana the better. Things would be better if she just left."

The sudden sound of someone slamming their hands against the table cut Chandra off. Gideon and her, along with several other people sitting down the length of the table, jumped and looked up to see Jace, looking over Chandra with a gaze that held back no ounce of fury. Gideon remained looking shocked, but Chandra's expression immediately changed from surprised to annoyance.

"Gods, Chandra, do you even hear yourself!?" Jace barked, the look she gave him only driving him to become more and more frustrated. "Do you even consider the things you say about Liliana before you say them!? How can you say things like that!? Never once has she said anything like that about you or Gideon- not once!"

"I say them because they're true! You're the only person who seems to want her around, and everyone else wishes she would just leave already!" Chandra snapped back, rising to her feet as well. Gideon grasped at her shoulder, attempting to force her back into her seat, but she pulled away. "She turned on us and she'll turn on you, too, once a better deal comes along! She's probably even using you right now!"

"Shut up!" Jace shouted. "Other people besides me care about her! Other people would care if she left!" He remembered Emmara, and how she'd nearly broke down in Liliana's apartment. "She was your friend, too, once! I know she did something to you that hurt you, but does that really deserve you wishing she'd disappear!?"

"Stop running your mouth like you know me! You hardly know me or Gideon, since you spend so much time with _her_!" Chandra practically screamed. By then, the entire cafeteria had grown quiet, listening in shocked silence to Jace and Chandra going back and forth like they were the only two people in the room. "If you like her so much, why don't you just go back to the library and hide with her!?"

"BECAUSE SHE'S GONE MISSING!" Jace shot back, summoning the loudest bellow that he could from his lungs.

"W-what...?" Chandra questioned, anger now mixed with a hint of surprise.

"Ever since that day I tried to get you and Liliana to talk, she hasn't been in school. I went to her apartment with Emmara, the school nurse, but she wasn't there, either. She won't pick up her phone or text me back..." Jace turned away, feeling his own anger begin to slowly slip out of his grasp. "It may have been because of what I did... but you behaving like you do didn't help things. If you didn't treat her like a damn leper maybe she wouldn't have felt the need to leave!"

"I treat her that way because she used us- because of what she did to my brother!" Chandra retaliated, sounding a little less mad and a lot more defensive. "She told me herself that she used us!"

"And she told me herself that she didn't! She took the fall for Azorius so they wouldn't lose face over exposing your brother! And she had no choice because, if she hadn't, you and Gideon would have been expelled, too!" Chandra looked back at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates, mouth agape as she struggled to find words. The hush that had fallen over the cafeteria was all that answered Jace at first, the occasional whisper and odd foot step breaking the ringing silence.

"...You... You're lying!" She finally spoke. "What reason would she have to lie to us about that!? Maybe you're the one she lied to!"

"No." Jace didn't raise his voice, but he sounded serious enough to silence her. "I know Liliana... more than you, or Gideon or anyone else in this room- I know her. She lied to you because she feels she needs to keep people at a distance. She was afraid your well being be used against her again, just like what had happened with your brother. She has herself convinced that she's better off alone now... and no one deserves to feel that way about themselves. No one deserves... to be treated like they don't belong. We all came to this school to keep that from happening, didn't we!?"

"But-"

"You of all people should understand what it's like to have people you're close to turn away from you because of something you couldn't control. If we just keep carrying on this way- holding all of this against her and making her feel like she doesn't belong- we're no better than the people who shut us out. The people who abandoned us and treated us like freaks... we're no better than them if we keep acting this way..." Jace paused, remembering how easily everyone had turned from him and how seamless giving him up had been. Had Liliana felt that way, watching those she'd come to know as friends walk away from her? Had she felt that way when her family cast her out?

"None of us have any right to wish that someone would leave or vanish, not even you, despite what you lost. What right do we have to shut out one of our own?"

"That's enough, Jace, although it was nice to hear someone stand up for me like that." A voice emanated from behind him- a familiar voice of someone he'd been waiting apprehensively to see. It both soothed and surprised him as he whirled around, coming to find Liliana standing a short distance away, smiling warmly back at him. "Not very many people have done that sort of thing for me."

"Liliana-!" Jace gasped, starting to walk towards her before he realized someone was with her. They weren't anyone he recognized, but at the same time they looked incredibly familiar. It was an older boy who stood a few heads taller than Liliana. He had long, red hair he kept tied back and a spatter of freckles across his face. From the way he stood to how he chose to present himself- worn, leather jacket, pants riddled with stains and holes, muddy boots and an unshaven face- he looked like someone who lived a life on the road. He had a hunch of who the stranger was, and that hunch was soon confirmed as he heard Chandra sharply gasp behind him.

Jace turned to find Chandra with tears building in her eyes and her hands over her mouth. She shook her head, starting slowly but picking up the pace little by little as more tears began to form and break away from her eyes. Gideon, too, stood up, his mouth hanging open and his expression nearly matching Chandra's.

"Ch... Charles?" Chandra mumbled through her hands, hiccuping lightly.

"Hey, Chandra." The boy replied in a gruff voice, raising a hand in greeting as he looked back at his little sister with overwhelming warmth. Unable to hold back, Chandra loudly sobbed as she pushed passed Jace and stumbled over to her brother, flinging herself at him and wrapping her arms around him desperately.

"He's... He's back..." Gideon said in awe behind Jace. "Liliana... she brought him back."

"She did, didn't she?" Jace nodded, turning his attention away from Chandra and her brother, Charles, and towards Liliana, who smiled back at him.

The silence that had once overcome the students sitting in the cafeteria soon became overwhelmed by excited murmurs, quiet gossip and the odd shout of Charles' name. Jace turned to Gideon, silently nodding towards the other three, motioning for him to follow as he left his seat and drifted over to where Liliana stood.

"Liliana..."

"I'm sorry if I worried you, Jace. I should have said something before I left." She apologized, shaking her head. "Emmara probably flipped out and made you worry, didn't she- no, wait, you don't have to tell me, I know she did. I know her."

"I... I started to think you'd moved on." Jace said, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. "I'd started to believe Emmara, thinking you'd grown tired of this place and left."

"Without my books? I'd never be so stupid as to leave me belongings behind, Jace- use your head, I mean, _really_." She huffed sarcastically, playfully bopping him on the head before turning to Chandra and Charles, with Gideon slowly making his way into the scene as well. Chandra buried her face into her brother's jacket, continuing to cry. "Besides, I'm far from tired of this place."

"I'm glad." Jace said with a smile, reaching out and taking her hand. "I'm far from tired of you, too." Liliana looked down at her hand, at first motioning to pull away before relaxing as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Hey, you two!" Charles called out, tearing the two of them away from the moment that had settled over them. Liliana and Jace looked up to see Gideon slowly herding Chandra out of the cafeteria. "Let's go somewhere a little more private, shall we?"

"Right. Let's not continue to make a spectacle of ourselves." Liliana laughed, and as she said it Charles waved to a few people who had called out his name, gaining praising cheers as he did so. He was like a knight or war hero returning from the battlefield. He seemed rugged and poorly groomed, but he still commanded an incredible presence that Jace could only stand in awe of as he followed after him, out of the room.

They wound up venturing to the far side of the campus, hidden away from prying eyes by a grouping of trees. Then and only then did Chandra put at least an arm's length of distance between her and her brother, hands still clinging to his jacket as he reached out and dried her eyes.

"Where... where have you been?" She asked, her voice hoarse from crying.

"Here and there. I sort of took up being a drifter after I got expelled. I'd been trying to do my research elsewhere, but I still haven't come up with anything passed what I was able to dig up here. I would have just given up, but I didn't want to return here or home a failure. I guess I'm just a victim of my own pride." Charles explained, patting Chandra on the head "I'm sorry, I really should have come back. I had no idea things would have gotten so messed up just because I ran away."

"Mmn..." Chandra mumbled, looking down at her feet in shame.

"Imagine my surprise when Liliana came and found me, though. She told me how much you missed me, and what had happened in my absence. I guess little miss sharp tongue over there didn't tell you the full story once it happened."

"Please, don't start with the nicknames." Liliana groaned with a grin on her face, rolling her eyes.

"Well if you won't tell her and Gideon the truth, I guess it's up to me." Charles shrugged. "Liliana did what she did to keep all of you from suffering the same fate as me. Of course, I didn't expect her to come up with a crazy lie to make you distance yourself away from her. She knows how long you hold grudges, after all."

"Wait! H-how do you know about that and we didn't?" Chandra asked, looking between her brother and Liliana. "Did she tell you on the way here?"

"No, Chandra, I've always known." Charles assured her, shaking his head. "Right before I left, Liliana confronted me and explained herself. She begged me not to go and to just find a place here in town. She even suggested I try to get back into the dean's good graces- and now that I think about it I might have been able to, but at the time I was adamant about finishing my research. If I couldn't- or rather wasn't allowed to- do my research here, I'd have to go somewhere else. I told her to tell you that... but I guess you got a different version of the story."

Chandra's head jerked back to Liliana, her red hair flying about wildly as she turned.

"I'm sorry... I didn't want to tell you for fear you'd go after him." Liliana explained, bowing her head slightly. "So, instead I lied to you, so you'd stay here, but also so none of the guilds could dangle your enrollment over my head again. If I had no friends, no one would be at risk and they would have nothing to use against me. Not the smartest plan, I know..."

"How _did_ you find Charles, anyway?" Gideon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, so long as you know what you're looking for, it's easy to find anything with a little effort." Liliana explained vaguely. "That and Charles wasn't too concerned about leaving a trail. Once I told him his dear sister was upset about his disappearance it didn't take much more convincing to get him back here."

"And I'm sorry for that, Chandra, I really am." Charles urged as he reached out and rested his hands on Chandra's shoulders. "I should have told you before I left. I'll make sure to stop by more often, so long as you promise to make up with Liliana. I'm sure she's been to hell and back since I left."

"W-Wait, you're not going to stay!?" Chandra gasped. Charles sighed and sadly shook his head.

"I can't stay here, but all this has given me a new desire to finish my work. I'll figure out the secret to planeswalking, even if it kills me." He paused, noting his sister's distressed expression. "O-or not. It's just an expression, Chandra, don't look at me like that."

"Sorry..."

"Now, about that promise." Charles chuckled. "I'd rather not come back to you and Liliana still squabbling. So could you find it in yourself to forgive her?"

Chandra looked over to Liliana, looking like she was trying to solve some sort of crazy logic puzzle, while Liliana stared back at her apprehensively, like prey staring down a predator. Much to her surprise, Chandra began to make her way over to her, taking small, cautious steps toward the girl she'd hardly spoken to in nearly a year. Everyone else watched, practically holding their breath as they observed what had once been the impossible unfold before their very eyes.

"Chandra..." Liliana spoke once the red head had drawn close enough. But, instead of an apology, Chandra struck out, striking Liliana across the cheek. Everyone audibly gasped, beginning to converge on the pair to try and pry then away from each other, but Liliana held up one hand, wordlessly asking for them to stop while she nursed her cheek with the other. They obeyed, albeit hovering a bit closer now. Liliana kept her gaze fixed on Chandra, who in turn also locked eyes with her, unblinking and focused.

"...That's for lying to us." Chandra spoke sharply, though the expression on her face was far from angry. "For keeping secrets!"

"I'm sorry..." Liliana murmured, finally breaking eye contact and looking at the ground.

"...And... I'm sorry, too." Chandra said with a bit of difficulty. "I'm sorry for turning on you... It's like Jace said: I should have known better. I'm no better than my parents and the rest of the world that shut us out."

"We're both sorry." Gideon chimed in, taking up the space beside Chandra. "You can say that was your intention- to make us dislike you- but we're sorry all the same. It was hypocritical of us to push you away like we did." A silence fell between the three of them, and all Jace and Charles could do was watch anxiously to see what Liliana would do.

"I accept your apology." Liliana finally spoke up, a smile on her face. "From now on, there will be no more keeping secrets."

"Y-yes." Chandra said with a smile, nodding happily.

"Starting with the fact that I'm actually hundreds of years old." Liliana continued. Jace inhaled sharply, choking on his own air as he began to cough. The news was enough to surprise him, and he already knew. How in the world would Chandra and Gideon react!?

"Phht, _really_ funny, Liliana." Chandra shorted, smirking in Liliana's direction. "Geeze, read the air a little, would you? Do you really think this is the time to be making bad jokes like that? I mean, there's this thing called _timing_ , maybe you've heard of it."

"Sorry, I guess I just couldn't help myself." Liliana shrugged. "And I know we just had a thing... but I really need to go."

"What? _Why_?" Chandra asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"I have a few things I need to take care of. Plus, you need some time to catch up with Charles before he leaves. I've had plenty of time to do that- I'd just be hearing things I already have heard before."

"Hold on a second!" Jace stopped her as she began to leave, taking her hand. She turned, looking surprised.

"I promise, I'm not going anywhere Jace. I just need to pop in to see Emmara and make sure she hasn't started melting down without me being here." She assured him with a smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"You promise?" Jace asked, tightening his grip slightly.

"Gods, you're like a kid." She chuckled, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "I promise, Jace. Now let me go, I have an overly-concerned elf I need to go calm down. Something tells me I'll never hear the end of this one."

"Well, good luck." Jace chuckled, letting Liliana go.

"Thanks, I'll need it." Liliana laughed back, beginning to head off.

"Oh, and... Liliana?"

"Hmm?" She looked over her shoulder, giving him a quizzical look.

"I... I missed you."

Liliana laughed lightly, sharing a warm glance with Jace before speaking.

"I missed you, too, Jace." She said with a smile before turning around, leaving Jace to return with the others. She walked to the school building in silence, a smile on her face that she may or may not have been aware of. It remained there until she got to the schools doors, and was about to enter before someone called out to her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Well, don't you seem chipper?"

Liliana turned around, her smile immediately morphing into an annoyed frown as she heaved a troubled sigh. Behind her stood Baltrice, standing proudly and looking back at Liliana with a smirk. Liliana glared back, not even trying to hide how much she detested the punk girl's company.

"Did something good happen?"

"Piss off Baltrice." Liliana growled, beginning to turn around.

"You're not the biggest fan of me- I get it." Baltrice chuckled, drawing closer (probably just to make Liliana uncomfortable). "Lucky for you I'm just here to check up and see how everything went. No room for small talk- not that you're one for such things."

"It went fine, check for yourself." Liliana grumbled, trying to speed things along.

"So you did find Chandra's poor, lost brother? I certainly hope it did what you intended and we didn't waste intel trying to find something that wouldn't help our cause." Baltrice sneered, her grin growing ever wider the more uncomfortable Liliana appeared to be. "Of course, even if it was just another dead end, I doubt you'd be punished..." She reached out, resting her hands on her shoulders in a manner that made it seem like she had attempted to go for her neck. "Nicol Bolas always has been a little more lenient with his personal pawns."

"It worked, Baltrice, I assure you." Liliana grunted, pulling away from her and turning to give her a warning glare. "If it didn't strengthen Jace's bond with me, then it opened opportunities for that to happen. Now, could you please just leave me alone? Out of everyone he could have sent, he had to send you to check up on me..."

"Good, good..." Baltrice chuckled, choosing not to respond to Liliana's last few statements as she began backing off. "And once you have Jace wrapped around your finger, you know what to do."

"I convince him to run the maze for the Infinite Consortium- I know. We've been over this hundreds of times!" Liliana snapped. Baltrice merely laughed, not threatened at all by Liliana's anger.

"Just making sure you haven't forgotten why you're here. Nicol Bolas is constantly concerned that you'll be led astray by your emotions."

"Well you can tell him not to worry if it means I won't have to deal with you more than I have to." Liliana snarled. "And after this is over, he better give me what I asked."

"You don't have to worry about that. Once Jace gets us what's in the center of that maze, Nicol Bolas will have the power to rid you of even the most powerful demons." Baltrice assured her, turning her back to the necromancer and walking away. "And maybe, once you're rid of them, you can go ahead and die."


	17. Do Not Enter

Fall had descended upon Ravnica Academy, bringing with it shorter days and leaves in warm colors littering every possible surface outside. A chill had overpowered the warm, humid grip summer once had, replacing it with cool winds and thin layers of frost that came and went each morning. Fall break had also begun, and once again, Jace had decided not to try returning home in attempts to see if things had cooled down. But, unlike before, he was at no loss for company.

"Come on, guys, there's got to be something we can do other than sit around!" Chandra groaned, kicking her legs up in anger as she looked up at the sky. They were sitting on the football field bleachers, where they had planned to meet up but hadn't left since then. "I mean, when we all decided we were going to stay on campus over the break, I figured at least one of us had a cool plan or _something_!"

"Well, we could-" Gideon began, cut off by Chandra grumbling in an inhuman manner.

"No more pie, Gideon! I don't care if pumpkin pie and apple pie is in season, pie has a very low entertainment value - especially after you've had it for three days in a row!" She complained.

"There's always the library." Liliana offered, being at least commanding enough that she was allowed to finish her sentence.

"I'm not a gigantic nerd, Lili! I don't want to spend my entire fall break cooped up in the dusty, old library! Last time you suggested that, I wound up setting something on fire!" Chandra's voice had climbed to an annoyed whine to which Liliana rolled her eyes and quietly uttered an exhausted,

"Fine."

"Yeah, I think Chandra actually might be banned from the Library now." Gideon mentioned.

"I saw a _spider_!"

Jace chuckled, choosing to stay silent as he watched the three of them try and come up with something to do that didn't immediately get shot down by Chandra. He honestly didn't really care what they did, whether it was listen to Gideon talk about his love for pie with his mouth full of the aforementioned dessert or spend the day not actually reading but watching Liliana and her minute, almost half-second reactions to the things she read (little half-smiles, widened eyes, knitted brows- He'd never tell her, but she was at her most adorable when she was caught up in a good book). He was just glad they were doing it together, all four of them.

"Jace, come on, help me out here!" Chandra addressed him, forcing him into their conversation with a call of his name and a slap on his shoulder to get his attention. "Spiders are evil, and they need to be stopped!"

"Stopped from doing what?" Liliana asked over her shoulder. "They aren't hurting anyone- just eating insects and building webs."

"Hey, hey, none out of you! Don't you sway Jace into accepting your pro-arachnid way of thinking!" Chandra shouted.

"...Well... I'm not the biggest fan of spiders... but I don't think they-"

"See! Jace is on my side!" Chandra interrupted proudly. Jace sighed quietly, going back to being an observer as the conversation was derailed from potential things to do to being about Chandra's personal, deep-seeded hatred of all spiders.

"Gods, you seriously need to man-up, Chandra." Liliana playfully mocked. "I mean, being _that_ scared of a tiny little spider..."

"Hey, I man-up plenty! I'm like... super manly! I can out-man Gideon if I wanted to!"

"Hey, now, I'm not sure I like where this is going." Gideon laughed in a manner that was partially uncomfortable.

"Prove it then." Liliana goaded, leaning in close and bopping Chandra lightly on the nose with her finger.

"Uurg..." Chandra grumbled, shrinking back before straightening up  with her chest puffed out and her fists clenched. "Fine! I'll prove it! In fact, I just came up with something we can do!"

"Something tells me it isn't spending the afternoon looking for spiders." Liliana chortled.

"Shut up!" Chandra barked. "We'll go on a trip to the ruins!"

Liliana and Gideon's reactions were enough to peak Jace's curiosity. Gideon immediately shook his head, mumbling frantic "mm-mmm"s from behind tightly-closed lips and Liliana allowed her mouth to hang open for but a moment before forcing it closed and joining Gideon in shaking her head in disapproval. It seemed like a good a time as any to jump back into the conversation.

"The... ruins?" He asked. Chandra turned to him, her face lighting up with a mixture of excitement and mischief.

"Oh, right, you're new here- you probably have never heard of the ruins!" She grinned from ear to ear. "The ruins are-"

"A place that's extremely off limits that we could be expelled for if we step a foot in there." Gideon finished sternly. "Chandra I know you wanted to prove a point, but there's a fine line with being brave and doing something stupid and dangerous!"

"Aww, what's that Gideon? Are you scared?" Chandra sneered.

"Of getting kicked out of school, yes!" Gideon groaned. "Look, we can do anything but that! The ruins are dangerous! There's a reason no one is allowed to go there without a special permit from the city!"

"Because people are really unfair and exaggerate everything?"

"Because it's _dangerous_!" Gideon groaned.

"So... about what these 'ruins' are...?" Jace pipped up.

"They're remains of the 'old Ravnica'." Liliana explained. "A lot of it is obviously gone now, but there's a small little bit of it left on the edge of town, crumbling away. There's always constant debate about whether or not it should be torn down, but the place is way too unstable and it's sort of a historical land mark, so it just sort of sits there behind fences where no one can get at it."

"The old City of Ravnica used to be huge! The fact they've left what's left of it untouched just makes me want to go and see it!" Chandra added, turning away from Gideon who had been in mid-sentence trying to sway her otherwise. "It would be like taking a glance into the past!"

"Yeah, if the past was covered in weeds and slowly being broken down by decay." Liliana rolled her eyes. "Gideon is right, the ruins are no place for us to just waltz into without permission or telling anyone. A lot of people who go in there for excavation wind up getting injured- a lot of people who's profession it is to go into those kinds of places with equipment that's supposed to keep them from getting hurt. It's like that place is cursed or something."

"And the necromancer uses the potential of a 'curse' as a reason _not_ to go somewhere." Chandra sighed mockingly before turning to Jace. "Come on, you have to admit, it sounds really cool, right? It's the last remains of the city this boring town was built on top of! The city almost completely leveled by a war beyond our wildest comprehension. We of the new generation should take a look into our past and see what that sort of uprising can do to a society to keep that from happening again, _riiiiight_?"

"She... does have a point."

"Don't encourage her, Jace! I swear, doing dangerous things that are against the rules must run in the family..." Gideon muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Enough out of you. I was talking to Jace." Chandra barked over her shoulder before turning her attention back to her indecisive friend. "So, what do ya say? It'll definitely be a lot more exciting than flirting with Liliana in the library when you think I'm not watching with a camera."

"Wait, what was that last... never mind, I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." Jace shook his head before looking down at his hands in contemplation. Judging by the way Liliana and Gideon spoke of them, the ruins did sound like a dangerous place. The logical side of him knew right away that going there wouldn't be at all wise. But the thought of going to the ruins of the former City of Ravnica called to him in an enticing manner he couldn't ignore. The former City of Ravnica: the city where the Living Guildpact, Jace Beleren, had lived and died. Maybe a small part of his soul that still belonged to the former Jace wanted closure.

"I... kind of... want to go." He spoke slowly, considering every word he said carefully before he uttered them aloud.

"What!?" Liliana and Gideon shouted in unison.

"See! Jace is on my side. _Again_!" Chandra gloated, nose pointed to the sky.

"Jace, what the hell?" Liliana asked sharply.

"Sorry, sorry, I guess my interest was just... piqued." He sighed, looking her in the eyes. She, at least, would be able to know his reason for going other than to placate Chandra. "I just... want to see what it's like. I want to see the place that stood here thousands of years ago... just to, you know, see what it's like."

Liliana clicked her tongue and gave him a look, but did nothing more than that as she leaned back, folded her arms and sighed to herself. She didn't agree, but she understood.

"If it means that much to you..." She mumbled.

"Yeah! That just leaves you, Gideon, you rule abiding sheep!" Chandra teased. "Are you in, or are you spending an afternoon all by your lonesome while we go on a kick-ass adventure?"

"You really leave me no choice. If something happens to you and I'm not there, I'll never forgive myself." Gideon caved, shoulders slumped in defeat. "I guess I'll come along- not because I want to, but because you forced my hand!"

"Excellent! So we're going, then!" Chandra squealed with delight, leaping forward and throwing her arms around Gideon before whirling around so that she hugged him from behind. Gideon put up only the smallest bit of a fight as she scrambled around him like an excited, affectionate monkey. "When should we go? Should we go today? I mean, we've already wasted daylight enough as it is, so if we go now we may not have enough time, so..."

"Go where, exactly?" A cool voice behind them asked. All four of them gasped as they turned to see Avacyn standing a few seats up above them, looking down at them with a look that was emotionless on the surface, but seemed incredibly cold. As usual, she came dressed in all black: a black turtle neck, a black skirt, black leggings and black boots. Her hair was done oddly cute for someone who constantly dressed like she was coming from a funeral, with it tied into two, long, loose braids that flowed behind her as she moved.

"N-Nowhere special!" Chandra finally pipped up, her voice cracking. "Just... around."

"Funny, I could have sworn I heard you screaming something about the ruins." Avacyn mentioned, tucking a finger just below her lip in mock-thought. "Or had I just been hearing things?"

"I'm really sorry about her!" Gideon suddenly cut in, standing to face the dean's daughter who looked back at them with cold indifference. "She just really wants to go- but we were all against the idea and we probably weren't even going to go in the end. We know it's off limits, and we know we shouldn't even consider going there. We aren't going anywhere near them, we swear!"

" _Hey_!" Chandra hissed.

"My goodness, Mister Jura, so quick to cover everything up like that- it makes me think you fear me or something." Avacyn spoke, a ghost of a smile on her features. "Do you think I'm here to get you into trouble?"

"Well, you _are_ the dean's daughter- _ooff_!" Chandra began to say before Liliana elbowed her in the side.

"On the contrary- I only came over because I heard you talking about going, and wished to accompany you." Avacyn explained as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Wait-wait-wait a second. You, the daughter of the dean with a squeaky clean track record want to join us, the common riff-raff, on a trip to the place where no one can go without a permission from the highest authority to break in to said place?" Chandra said, narrowing her eyes.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Would you be mad if I said 'yes'?"

"I suppose it is a little out of left field." Avacyn agreed, nodding her head. "But I do legitimately wish to accompany you. I have no intention of getting the four of you in trouble, despite what you may believe. I only want to come with you- no strings, no hidden intentions."

A hush fell over the group as they looked between one another, trying to decide whether or not to accept Avacyn's promise and allow her to come along. Aside from being the dean's daughter, she'd never actually gotten anyone into trouble before. She followed school rules to a "T" but never really was seen actively enforcing them. Slowly, but surely, each one of them came to at least accept the fact that there was a chance Avacyn was being truthful. If she went along with them, she'd be breaking the rules, too, after all.

"I... I guess, if you want...?" Jace finally spoke up, looking each person in the group in the eyes as he said every word slowly. Avacyn gave him an oddly chipper nod in response.

"Wow, okay- so now that we've roped the dean's daughter into our scheme, do we go now?" Gideon asked.

"I was honestly thinking we could go tomorrow morning." Chandra explained. "They up the security throughout the day, and around morning is when there is the least amount of patrols. Plus we've already burned enough daylight sitting around here- if I'm going to the ruins, I need every bit of daylight to do so."

"So... how long have you actually been planning this little escapade to the ruins, now?" Gideon questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Long enough to study the patrol patterns, apparently." Liliana mumbled under her breath. Chandra merely grinned victoriously, her job to get them all to agree to her plan over and done.

"And don't worry, I have a fool-proof plan to keep from getting caught. So, just leave everything to me!" Chandra gave her companions a wide smile that, despite it and her words, did nothing to chase away the underlying feeling of worry still lingering among them. "Come on, at least try not to look like I'm leading you to your doom."

"That's the thing: you really might be." Gideon responded.

"Stop being so negative. I mean, look at Avacyn. She isn't freaking..." Chandra turned to Avacyn- or, at least where she'd been standing. She had vanished just as quickly and mysteriously as she had appeared, leaving the four of them to gawk at the empty space in confused silence. "...out."

"How did she... _where_ did she...?" Jace managed to say as they all looked around. Even if she had sprinted away as fast as she could, she would still be in sight if not have made an incredible amount of noise. It was as if she'd simply vanished.

"Let's... try not to think too hard about it. She'll probably pop up out of nowhere tomorrow." Liliana said dismissively. "Until then, we still haven't decided what we wanted to do today if our escapade into possible expulsion is going to take place tomorrow."

"Well I for one could use some pie." Gideon shrugged.

"And then maybe we could go to the library." Jace added.

"Gods, I'm friends with the most boring, predictable people in the world..." Chandra grumbled before throwing her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine, I'll go along and do all that mundane crap you want to do. Tomorrow, though, we finally get to do what I want to do. And no amount of you whining and telling me it's dangerous is going to change my mind!"

* * *

"Chandra, when you said 'morning' I figured you meant a reasonable hour." Liliana yawned as they piled into the fire-mage's vehicle: an old, beat up pick-up truck that looked like it had seen more accidents and shoe-string budget repairs than good days. The sun had barely begun to rise, not even managing to climb over the taller buildings and trees as it shed bright morning rays through the gaps between them.

"Well, yeah, I _was_ originally going to call you out here later, but I couldn't sleep all night I was so excited! So I figured, what the hell, and called you all here." Chandra explained, leaning out the driver's side window as Jace, Liliana and Avacyn- who had only recently shown up looking the least bit tired or groggy- climbed into the back. Gideon, on the other hand, was sitting in the passenger seat, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"And so we begin our day, forced to comply to Chandra's whims because we have no real will of our own." Jace mused both poetically and sarcastically. "I'm so damn tired I don't even have the energy to complain."

"Good, then don't." Chandra said commandingly as she craned her neck back to look at the three squeezed tightly into the back seat. Avacyn sat up attentively, looking back at Chandra as if awaiting orders while Jace and Liliana appeared to be trying to get in a few more minutes of shuteye. "You ladies ready?"

"As we can be." Liliana mumbled, leaning her head weakly on Jace's shoulder, which somehow succeeded in waking him up a little.

"And _you-_ you better not tell the dean or anyone else about this when we get back." Chandra growled as she pointed at Avacyn, who shook her head in a manner that was almost disturbingly calm.

"I wouldn't dream of such a thing." She spoke smoothly. "You have my word."

"...Hmph..." Chandra narrowed her eyes before turning back around and nudging Gideon in the arm, who snapped awake with a chorus of grunting and tired, unintelligible babbling.

"Ready to go, sleeping beauty?" She chuckled, watching as Gideon reassessed he was in her truck and not buried under sheets in his bed.

"Urg... I guess so." Gideon mumbled, resting his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "Just... wake me up when we get there, okay?"

"Oh, you know I will." Chandra told him as she started the engine and pulled out of the student parking lot. "The rest of you can also try and get a little shut eye, too, if you want. It's a good 30 minute drive to where we need to be."

Liliana was already way ahead of her, sound asleep with her head still resting against Jace's shoulder. Jace, on the other hand, focused on hardly moving as not to wake her up and watched the scenery that they passed by as they began their journey. The academy was situated on the very edge of town, so it wasn't long before houses and shops and cars soon vanished and made way for scant forests and chaotically winding rivers that seemed to branch about the landscape like veins. Within a few minutes, the road visibly changed from smooth, dark pavement to a bumpy dirt road that seemed to throw the truck about and jostle everyone and everything inside. The way it creaked and rattled made Jace wonder if the thing would fall apart from the rough ride.

"H-hey, Avacyn-" Jace turned to his other companion sitting opposite Liliana, attempting to make conversation. But, while he'd been focusing on the scenery she had slipped on a pair of bulky headphones and was facing away from him out the window, unaware he had spoken. Giving up immediately he turned to his second and last remaining option.

"Chandra!" He called over the rumble of the car. She looked back at him quickly, acknowledging she'd heard him with the look and a quick 'hmm'. "W-Why exactly do you want to go to the ruins so bad anyway? It can't just simply be you're a sucker for breaking rules..."

"Well, breaking per-established rules _is_ exhilarating in it's own way..." Chandra began, sounding thoughtful as she continued after a short pause. "But I guess ever since I heard about them there's been a part of me that's wanted to go anyway. I know it's dangerous for us to go there, and that if we're caught awful things will happen... I just... I really can't explain it. I didn't even deeply consider it before I decided I wanted to go. I just developed the desire the moment I heard about them- like a deep, primal need." She stopped again, dismissing everything she had said with a snicker and a wave of her hand. "I guess I just really like dangerous stuff. Never could stand how boring Ravnica is and how they shelter all us magic folk like poor, damaged sheep."

"Is that so..." Jace chuckled lightly, pondering on what Chandra had said moments before. Instinctively wanting to visit someplace despite it being a danger to them and their academic careers seemed- no, it couldn't. He was probably way too tired and looking way too into what she'd said. A silence drifted back over them as he turned back to the window, going back to focusing on not moving so that Liliana could get whatever rest she needed.

Their trip soon ended as Chandra pulled her car into what was probably once a place to park cars generations before, but was now an overgrown grove of trees and other wild foliage that still had just enough space for her to at least park her truck. The noisy hum of the engine stopping abruptly and Chandra opening her door and loudly slamming it once she'd hopped out roused Gideon and Liliana from slumber.

"Are we there?" Gideon mumbled, half awake and punctuating himself with a tired, involuntary snort.

"Not exactly. This is just where we get out and walk." Chandra explained to them from outside the car. Avacyn, without a word, opened up the side door and joined her on the ground, headphones still on, giving Chandra a look of apathy to contrast the confusion of the other three.

"Walk? Did your junk heap disguised as a truck break down?" Liliana asked, managing to joke through her haze of exhaustion as she lifted herself off of Jace and began to shimmy to the door.

"Haha, very funny. And no, it didn't." Chandra rolled her eyes. "I just don't think it would be very smart to park the car right beside the perimeter of the ruins. I mean, we'll just be asking people to come and jump us for trespassing at that point!"

"Well, no matter what we do, we're definitely going to get caught." Gideon groaned, slipping out of the vehicle slowly. "I mean, how many people have you heard of that went to the ruins and came back totally unpunished?"

"Gods, Gideon, could you please just be positive for once?"

"Fine, I'm _positive_ we're going to get caught." Gideon responded bitterly. "The longer I try and accept going on this little escapade, the stupider it seems."

"Well, you're free to go if you think my idea is so dumb." Chandra grumbled as she crossed her arms in frustration. "You'll probably get back to campus by the time we do."

"Yeah, in the custody of the police." Gideon added, to which Chandra could do nothing but make an angry growl at before turning to the other three who weren't openly criticizing her idea of fun. Gideon, behind her, seemed to be clearly thinking about just heading down the dirt road back into town. However, with a flustered, defeated shrug he shook his head and joined her at her side as she began to explain her plan.

"Alright, listen up. We're only a short walk away from the barrier. If we continue to just walk along this road, we'll end up near a door in the infrastructure, and that's how we'll get in. There shouldn't be anything too complex keeping it closed- probably just a lock or two that I could melt." Chandra explained. "Originally, the plan involved a lot more surveillance before actually coming here and actually putting what we learned in math class to actual use with trying to figure out the patrol schedule. But now we have Jace, so that makes things much, much simpler."

"Wow, I think that's the first time I'm actually heard Jace used in that kind of context." Liliana chuckled.

"Hey!" Jace said, taking offense only for a second before giving up and looking back to Chandra. "But... how exactly does that make things simple?"

"We just have you monitor a wide area around us and make sure no one comes snooping around." Chandra told him with a grin. "That is, of course, if you can at least keep track of the thoughts of people within at least a mile-wide radius."

"A _mile_?" Jace questioned, already feeling his head begin to ache. "Are you serious!?"

"As a heart attack." Chandra nodded. "If we're going to do this, we can't take any chances or risk anything. If we want to be safe and make sure no one sees us, you're going to have to cast that mental net of yours real wide. It should only take me a couple of seconds to melt a couple of locks, but we'll need you to start scanning around once the wall is in sight. The most you'll have to keep this up for would be a couple of minutes... that is, unless you feel you're incapable of such a thing."

"I-I'm perfectly capable!" Jace defended. "I just... I'm not sure how long I can keep that sort of spell up."

"Well we'll just have to figure that out." Chandra said with a smirk, beginning to walk out toward the road. "And, if we do get caught, you can always mind wipe whoever finds us."

"You're leaning an awful lot on me." Jace muttered as they began to follow after her. "Do you think that's wise? I mean, Your plan seems to just ride on me doing all this stuff, and you just have Liliana, Gideon and Avacyn standing around."

"Well, we could always jump whoever catches us. I mean, strength in numbers, right?" Chandra threw out, albeit sarcastically. "Though a random guy beaten to a pulp or getting attacked by zombies, getting his flesh fried off or- whatever Avacyn even does- on the side of the road is harder to explain. Right now, we're aiming for subtlety, which is exactly your expertise."

"Gods, fine..." Jace grumbled. At the very least, he'd made sure to take a days-worth of pain medication with him, so if (or rather when) he got any sort of headache blindly following Chandra's orders, he'd be able to pop a few and hope he didn't collapse.

"Good, we have an agreement." Chandra beamed widely. "Let's get going, then!"

Hesitating for a few seconds to look between each other doubtfully (save Avacyn, who's headphones were still on and who followed shortly after Chandra) Liliana, Jace and Gideon followed Chandra's lead.

At first she stuck to the road, every once in a while urging all of them to run and hide over the embankment on one side every time she thought she heard a car. However, it wasn't long before she completely diverged from it, leading them into yet another grove of threes for cover. She looked over her shoulder constantly, shushing them whenever the volume of their footsteps grew too loud- the final time asking Jace to start searching for any wayward thought within the established perimeter before the wall came into view.

It was a massive structure for what it was- a twisted combination of chain-link with barbed wire and vines laced through the holes. There probably wasn't a single place for someone to place their foot where they wouldn't become stabbed or ensnared by the foliage that had probably taken on more of a security function. Almost right in front of them was a massive printed sign, the larger letters they could see reading WARNING, KEEP OUT and PUNISHABLE OFFENCE. Looking up and down, similar signs could be seen, probably so that at any point in time, potential trespassers could be reminded about how off-limits the ruins were.

Chandra stopped them with a raise of her arm as she looked expectantly at Jace. Everyone else, even Avacyn, followed suit, adding to the pressure.

"I can't hear anyone's thoughts right now, but we'd still better hurry." He told them, sounding strained. He'd never had to monitor such a wide area before. Never once had he been required to cast his own mind down a length longer than a hallway or a large room. Maybe it was simply a sign he hadn't received proper training to hone his own skills, but the act of searching an area the size of a single mile was enough to make him break out into a sweat despite the cool chill of morning.

"Are you sure?" Chandra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Gods and Demons, yes, I'm sure! Can we please hurry this along?" Jace grumbled impatiently.

"Alright, fine, no need to be pushy!" Chandra chuckled back before sprinting across the road that lay between them and the wall. The rest of them followed shortly after her, gathering in a panicked clump around her as she felt around a single area of the fence.

"I could have sworn there was a door around here- OW!" She exclaimed, pulling her hand away and sticking a finger into her mouth.

"Chandra!" Gideon gasped, pushing passed everyone else to see if she was alright.

"I'm fine, Gideon, just pricked my finger, that's all." She assured him, finger still in her mouth while the other continued to fondle through the dangerous tangle of foliage and thorns for the door hidden somewhere in the fence. "Help me out here, guys, I'm down a hand I could really use some more." She added with a hiss. Almost instantly, she had everyone else feeling around with her, looking desperately for the way in.

"Hey... guys..." Jace spoke hesitantly. Everyone slowly turned to him, looks escalating from complete, flat apathy (which was Avacyn's permanent expression regardless of the situation) to wild, overwhelming panic. They knew what was coming, he didn't even have to say it. "We'd better double our efforts on that door thing. They're going slow, but someone just broke through-" Before he could even finish, everyone was wildly searching through the barbed wire and vines, looking for the way in.

"Shit, what if there isn't even a door here! We're going to get caught!" Gideon cursed.

"There _should_ be, dammit, I've done my research!" Chandra defended. "There would literally be a door right here- AH!" She exclaimed, hands grasping a solid chunk of metal. "Found it!"

"Well hurry up and open it then!" Liliana practically ordered as the four of the crowded Chandra. She grunted angrily in response, taking the lock in both her hands and focusing. Using too much power would most likely melt the rest of the fence or burn the vines. She had to concentrate and keep the searing heat just on one, single object. It was always easy to just burn everything in front of her indiscriminately. It was hard to just burn and melt one, single thing and leave everything else untouched.

"Chandra..." Jace muttered nervously.

"There, done!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands outwards and shaking them without thinking, drops of liquefied metal flying through the air. Everyone, even Avacyn, leaped back, and everyone but Avacyn cursed wildly.

"Holy shit, Chandra!" Gideon shouted. "Watch it! Not all of us can stand being touched by magma!"

"O-oh, sorry!" Chandra apologized.

"Save your sorries for later, just get in there!" Liliana snapped, taking up the rear and pushing everyone toward the door. Chandra pressed her entire body into the structure, the door giving way and swinging open for them to stumble through. Answering to a panicked chorus of "close it"s, Chandra leaped around and pushed the door back into place and held it there just as the crunching of tires against the gravel street reached their ears. They all held their breath as they watched the patrol car slowly pass by through the tiny spaces in the fence. It wasn't until the car had passed by and was completely out of sight and their range of hearing that they could breath again.

"That was way too close!" Chandra groaned.

"You can say that again..." Jace muttered.

"And now we're at the point of no return." Gideon added as he turned to what lay behind them. Just beyond the fence, keeping what was hidden beyond it shrouded, was a dense forest choked with old growth enough to make the area seem as if night had already fallen. It would take a considerable amount of effort to navigate through, but Chandra wasn't daunted in the slightest as she eagerly pressed on ahead of them.

"Guess that means you don't have the option to puss-out on me any more!" She gleefully laughed as she began pushing through bushes and climbing over tangled roots. "No point in standing around, come on!"

Gideon, exhaling in an exhausted manner, quickly tailed her, followed by Avacyn who, at that point, was still wearing her headphones and until then had probably only been doing things because everyone else had been. She paused, looking back at Liliana and Jace who were slowly taking up the rear, hesitant to drift into the thick of the foliage.

"Jace, you okay?" Liliana asked, looking back at her companion who gazed back at the old, dark forest with a look of apprehension. "Is it your headache?"

"No- well, yeah, I do have a headache, but that isn't it..." Jace shook his head. "It's just... I'm sort of anxious about what will happen when we get there. This is the place where Jace Beleren and Liliana Vess died, after all. I can't help but feel a little anxious."

"You shouldn't worry." Avacyn's cool, collected voice cut through the tension Jace had built. The two of them looked to her as she slid her headphones from off her head and down to her neck, where she let them rest. "There shouldn't be any sort of negative repercussions of either of you returning here. If anything, you'll simply feel a wave of melancholy. Nothing but sad memories cling to these ruins for those who lived here before."

"Hey! Are you three coming!?" Chandra shouted, followed shortly by Gideon sharply shushing her- not that she listened. "You're holding us up!"

"Coming!" Liliana called back, earning herself another shush from Gideon who muttered to himself that just because they had breached the wall didn't mean they could yell all they wanted.

"Who knows..." Avacyn spoke again before heading into the forest herself. "Maybe you'll learn something interesting there."

"Such as?" Jace dared to ask, but by then, Avacyn had placed her headphones back on and had begun to trek into the thicket. "...I guess I asked for something a little too specific then, huh?"

"Come on, let's go before Chandra starts yelling again." Liliana chuckled as she followed after Avacyn, pausing only to reach out to Jace and waited for him to take her hand. "You heard her. Nothing really bad should happen to us by going there."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right." Jace nodded as he took her hand and allowed her to lead him into the darkness of the forest.


	18. Erosion

Baltrice heaved a heavy, bothered sigh- one probably only conjured up for other people could hear and ask about it. Rifling through her pockets she fished out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, plucking out the last remaining one and sticking it in her mouth before angrily throwing the empty packaging to the ground and going back to looking through the multiple pockets that riddled her outfit.

"Gods, I swear, if I had twice the metaphorical balls, I'd tell that damn dragon 'no' for once." She muttered as she searched, coming up short for what Tezzeret figured was a lighter. He stood a few feet away, leaning lazily against a tree and not looking even half as annoyed as his younger companion. "It's always 'do this', 'do that' with him. If this is a full time job, then I should demand a vacation."

Grunting in defeat over not finding what she wanted, instead of summoning up a flame herself (which Tezzeret was surprised she hadn't already done) she crouched down beside the still burning corpse of one of the security guards who had come to investigate why the gate to the ruins had been ajar. He'd hardly gotten a chance to search deeper into the thicket before her flames had found him. Leaning in, she used the dying flame to light her cigarette.

"Is that _really_ necessary?" Tezzeret asked in an exhausted tone.

"What? Wanting to demand a vacation from Bolas, or using a perfectly good flame to light my smoke ?" Baltrice asked, cocking an eyebrow in a manner that was half-curious and half-annoyed.

"Well- both those things!" Tezzeret answered back.

"Of course they are. I don't like exerting more effort than I have to and, one, this is a perfectly good fire- two, Bolas is a gigantic slave driver! Why did he even send us out here in the first place?" She asked, kicking at the ground in frustration. "It's because Beleren and his friends are too incompetent to lock a door behind them..."

"Jace won't be of any help to us if he gets expelled-or worse. It's a bothersome job, but it's necessary since none of them are completely thorough when it comes to breaking in somewhere." He explained, shaking his head. "And I have to ask... why did you insist on killing him? I'm pretty sure just spooking him would have sufficed just fine. And, correct me if I'm wrong, I always figured our job was to deal with things in a subtle manner, not leave charred corpses all over for people to find."

"Calm down, Tezz, we'll be fine. Bolas gave us free reign to do whatever we felt was necessary- you heard him." She dropped her voice to a low falsetto, as if to imitate the dragon. "Manage yourselves however you wish, I'll handle whatever mess you leave behind."

"Yes, and I'm pretty sure that was reassurance that things wouldn't explode if we messed up, not permission to _kill people_." Tezzeret corrected her, sounding angry.

"If we're going to work around the clock for Bolas, it's high time we gave _him_ some work to do." Baltrice paused as she took a long, deep drag of her cigarette before blowing a thick cloud of smoke into the air. "This really is a perfect way to blow off steam, though. After working for this long in the shadows it's nice to do something a little more..." She stopped again, taking a moment to stamp on the blackened, brittle hand of her victim that had begun to catch the surrounding greenery on fire. "...Forward. That and I had a lot of things I wanted to do today, so I'm pretty pissed."

"You, actually having things you want to do? That would be rich to hear about." Tezzeret spoke teasingly. Baltrice turned to him, pulling the almost-finished cigarette from her lips.

"Oh sorry, I meant 'things I wanted to do _to you_ today'. My mistake." She smirked, watching Tezzeret's cool facade dissolve. Baltrice smirked in victory, expelling a single chuckle before finishing off her cigarette. "Maybe if we get out of here early enough, then..." Sidling over to the older man, it was almost certain judging by her movements she was about to do something flirtatious had the sound of the gate screeching open not interrupted her.

"Looks like we have company..." Tezzeret muttered under his breath.

"Hmph, don't worry, this won't take long." Baltrice assured him, her hands slowly being consumed by flames- dancing on her finger tips and licking up her arms.

"Heh, sometimes I guess I do love my job."

* * *

"Chandra!" Jace called from the back of the pack. The surrounding thicket was so incredibly crowded with trees, bushes and weeds growing out of control that it was almost impossible to make out the red-head who currently led the group deeper and deeper into the wood.

"What!?" He heard her voice shout, sounding rather annoyed to boot.

"Are you... sure we're headed in the right direction?!" An angry groan was all that answered him, followed by the din of someone pushing past branches and snapping twigs. Suddenly, Chandra emerged from a nearby bush, pulling bits and pieces of the flora out of her hair and off her clothes. Gideon and Avacyn appeared behind her, choosing to follow the leader instead of hold their ground ahead of the other three.

"W-what!?"

"Of course I don't know where I'm going!" Chandra snapped. "What, you think I've been here before!?"

"Well, no- not exactly. It's just... we've been walking for a really long time-"

"34 minutes to be exact." Avacyn added, doing nothing to sooth Chandra's mood that was teetering between being simply annoyed and her reaching a point where she'd probably start hitting people.

"I just figured you'd know. I mean, you did take the lead and all."

"Yeah, but I didn't think these woods would be this thick, alright? Give me a break!" Chandra muttered.

"Wait, let me get this straight, then." Liliana cut in. "You're leading us into a forest that you have no idea about how deep it goes that you don't know how to navigate through? Did you make us leave this early because you _knew_ we'd get hopelessly lost?"

"Gods, I'm sorry, okay! I figured if we just went straight we'd eventually make it out!"

"And who's to say we're still going straight? For all you know you could have been leading us in circles for- who knows how long!" Liliana commented in equal frustration.

"35 minutes." Avacyn added again.

"Avacyn, I swear to the gods, if you think I won't punch the dean's daughter-"

"Whoa, whoa, let's calm down here! Nobody's punching anybody!" Gideon piped up, shuffling between Chandra and the rest of the group to keep any potential fight from breaking out. "Instead, let's try and come up with a solution. Maybe electing someone who has a more natural sense of direction to lead?"

"Well, what about you, since you're so eager to offer that up as an option?" Chandra asked, lips stretched into a snarl.

"Yeah, um, normally I would, but I'm pretty far out of my element here." Gideon admitted. "I can navigate the streets of a city, but not so much the woods."

"Gods, you're useless." Chandra muttered, throwing out the insult probably unintentionally as she spun around to look at everyone else in the group with a scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes rested on Jace, who immediately went still, hoping she continued to pass over him.

"What about you, mister 'are you sure we're headed in the right direction'?" She snarled. "Maybe you know your way around these woods better than I do!"

"Chandra, cut it out! Getting pissed at all of us isn't going to solve anything!" Liliana retorted. "What do you expect him to do- read the minds of the trees?"

While the two girls began to argue, Jace felt his attention pulled elsewhere. Looking into the darkness of the thick, crowded forest, he couldn't help but feel as if something were tugging him into the unknown. The grip was weak, but persuasive and he could feel a faint breeze seemingly from nowhere just barely push against his back. At first, he only figured he'd been imagining things- that is, until a voice called out to him and, judging by how little everyone else reacted, it seemed it was a call only he could hear. A call only he could answer to.

_Guildpact._

"I mean, seriously, what kind of psycho just blindly leads a group of people into the woods, I mean seriously! You could have-" Liliana paused mid-shout, realizing Jace had begin to walk away from the rest of them. "Jace? Jace, where are you going? Chandra was only being a turd, you don't have to actually lead the way!"

"It's this way... I can..." Jace mumbled, continuing to press forward.

"What was that? Jace, where are you going?" Liliana questioned, following after him and calling his name.

"Hm, looks like he might be onto something." Chandra thought aloud as she, too, followed after him.

"Yeah, that or he was trying to placate you." Gideon added under his breath.

" _What was that_?" Chandra growled.

"Nothing, nothing! Forget I said anything!"

"Jace knowing where he's going is a certainty. All we need to do is follow him." Avacyn spoke, following close behind the couple.

"That's some amazing faith you've got in him." Chandra snorted.

"It's not faith." Avacyn corrected. "It's simple, honest fact."

"Fact? What do you-?"

"Guys!" Liliana calling out to them cut her off as the three of them spun around to see Liliana waving her arms at them just beyond a grouping of bushes. "I think we found something!"

"See? Simple, honest fact." Chandra heard Avacyn repeat as her and the rest of them hurried over to where Liliana was.

"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing to where Jace was standing apprehensively. Just beyond the crowding of trees and underbrush was a faint glow of sunlight casting weak beams of light through gaps in the clusters of leaves.

"Is... is that the exit?" Gideon asked, sounding like he was holding back excitement.

"Well it better as hell not be the entrance, or I'm going to start wildly punching all of you." Chandra grumbled as Liliana pressed forward, stopping at Jace's side. He stood statue still, eyes focused ahead of him.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked as she rested a hand on his shoulder. Jace jumped, turning to Liliana like she'd somehow managed to sneak up and surprise him. "Whoa, easy there! Calm down, it's just me."

"S-sorry..." Jace muttered, ever-so-slowly beginning to relax. "I just... sensed something."

"Sensed something? Like what?" Liliana dared to pry.

"Like a pull... like someone leading me somewhere." He explained. "I'm just a little worried about where I'm being led to. The old Ravnica is a city I've only ever seen in nightmares, after all."

"Hey, what are you two whispering about!?" Chandra asked as she stumbled passed them, tripping over roots and scrambling through stray branches and bushes. "You can flirt later, when we get to see the ruins!"

"Hold on a second, Chandra- ow!" Gideon exclaimed as a branch the red-head pulled back swung back around and smacked him right in the face.

"Still worried about seeing the ruins, I see?" Liliana and Jace turned to Avacyn, who had stopped just right behind them. "Even after the memories that still cling to this place led you here? It's your destiny to return here."

"You know, by now I'm surprised I'm not sick of having things like fate and destiny shoved in my face." Jace muttered as he looked ahead to the clearing that Gideon and Chandra were thundering towards. "For once I want to go somewhere or do something significant because I wanted to, not because I was fated to. Sometimes I feel like I'm a victim to it... to my 'destiny'..."

"Fine, then don't think of this all as your destiny." Avacyn spoke as-a-matter-of-factly. "Think of this as a lesson for you to learn. A lesson to never let things escalate to the level they did when you were last alive. The ruins of the city you used to live- the city you died in- have a lot to teach." And with that and a flip of her long, silvery hair, Avacyn made her way passed them in the direction the other two were heading.

"Well, I guess it's now or never, then." Liliana sighed, taking a few steps around Jace so that she was in front of him, and offered up her hand for him to take. "Are you ready?"

Jace looked down at Liliana's hand for a few, long seconds, contemplating her seemingly simple question. Was he really ready? In the beginning, he had to admit he'd been curious, but now when the ruins were only a short distance away, he had to think long and hard to himself. Was he ready?

"... Yeah, I guess I am." Jace nodded with a slight smile as he took her hand and immediately getting yanked in the direction of the clearing. With every step, he felt his heartbeat grow faster, until he could hear it pounding in his ears.

_Guildpact._

Silence came just as the blinding light of the morning sun assaulted his vision as he was dragged into the clearing. Jace squeezed his eyes shut, remaining and reveling in the darkness and silence for a moment he contemplated letting last before he finally opened his eyes and listened to the surprised and excited gasps of everyone around him.

"We're here!" Chandra cheered. "Holy shit, we're here! This place is so... so _cool_!"

They looked out at the ruined cityscape from atop a steep incline that eventually met the ruins. Tall towers reached toward the sky, most of them broken and no longer standing at their original height. Only a few spires remained standing taller than the height the five of them were standing, like the arms of remaining, struggling survivors reaching up to a merciless god that had long since given up on them. Stairs leading to nowhere stretched out of pools of water and collapsed buildings, ending suddenly in open space that used to be occupied by an elevated walkway or a level of a building. Moats of water that had probably once been contained within the section of the city now ran wild as rivers, flowing through windows and dilapidated doorways and flowing like waterfalls over crumbled archways. The rooms and corridors of buildings could be seen in most of the structures, the protective outer shell of them having crumbled away to join the mass of rubble that consumed what was once streets and walkways. And, without the hand of man to keep it at bay, nature had taken control of the now empty, lifeless city. Trees grew from buildings and lakes pooled themselves within the rubble. Moss clung to every surface, and vines twisted up walls dying the city in a lush green.

"Wow..." Liliana spoke in a hushed tone. "It's... really peaceful."

"What, were you expecting fire and chaos when we got here?" Gideon snorted. "This place has been abandoned for centuries, of course it would be peaceful."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting." She forced a laugh, but Jace at least was able to silently agree with her first statement. What memories he'd been shown always showed the city in a state of panic of peril. Even if it was all just decaying buildings and dusty rubble, it was a lot better than what he had to compare it to. The City of Ravnica had found peace only in death.

"Well..." Chandra grumbled impatiently, only getting silence. "Are we going to stand around gawking, or are we going to explore this place!? Come on, times a-wasting!" With a burst of energy, Chandra leaped down the steep embankment, kicking up gravel and dirt as she skidded ungracefully down the decline towards a walkway that had, at one time, probably stretched to another building but now only branched to where the steep hill stopped and became a sudden, sharp drop. Suddenly gaining reflex enough to not flail around chaotically as she stumbled, Chandra skid to a halt right at the edge, looking down at the chasm the walkway bridged over.

"Jeeze, it's like the ground just collapsed!" She gasped after whistling in admiration of the canyon that formed below her. Slowly, and much more carefully, everyone joined her in cautiously looking over the edge.

She'd at least been accurate in describing it. The one, crumbling walkway probably hadn't been all that far from the ground originally, but it was as if the chasm had simply opened up (either by some sort of quake or everything above falling down into a hallowed out part of the city that lay underground) and everything in it's wake had tumbled and crashed down at the bottom. The deep slice in the ground snaked around the entire city, from what they could observe.

"That's pretty deep..." Gideon noted nervously. "We should be really careful crossing the- Chandra!" Looking up, everyone saw Chandra trotting onto the walkway without even a hint of pause or care. "Chandra, please, try to be careful!"

"Gods, Gideon, don't be such a mom." Chandra smirked, twirling around without much of a care to face everyone else. "Look, this thing is holding just fine. Solid as a rock!" To prove her point, she stamped and jumped up and down on the crumbling stone, spreading her arms wide in presentation as the structure held firm.

"Holy shit, Chandra, please stop!" Gideon practically begged. "Just walk across and wait for us on the other side. And _be careful_!"

"Alright, jeeze, I heard you the first billion times..." Chandra rolled her eyes, beginning to continue her trek across. "All that worrying is going to turn you into an old man before you know- AH!"

As Chandra took another step, the ground below her immediately gave way, crumbling loudly below her feet and falling out from under her in jagged, jumbled chunks. Unable to pull away from the section of the walkway that fell apart beneath her feet in time, Chandra found herself falling as well, following the broken bits of the walkway down into the chasm. The terror she felt was so intense she couldn't even summon up the air to shout or cry out.

"Chandra! Fuck, Chandra!" Gideon shouted, beginning to run towards the walkway as well before Jace and Liliana instinctively held him back. "Let me go! CHANDRA!"

Just as he called out her name, all three of them watched as Avacyn ran passed them all and willingly leaped over the edge of the chasm, diving after Chandra.

"Avacyn!" All three of them gasped as they ran to the edge just in time to see a flash of white suddenly spread across the darkness of the deep, dark slice in the ground. Smaller, lightly-colored wisps scattered about, drawn upwards by the wind and nearly clouding their vision.

Feathers.

Wings.

Avacyn had sprouted large, angelic-white wings that kicked up centuries worth of dust and dirt below and sent it up towards the mouth of the chasm in thick clouds as they gracefully flapped to keep her aloft. And, in her arms, clinging to her for dear life, was Chandra who looked like she was still comprehending that she'd been saved from a fall that would have most definitely ended her life.

"An angel..." Liliana said (probably thinking aloud in her shock) in awe.

Stepping back away from the edge, the three of them watched as Avacyn flew from the canyon and landed, ever-so-lightly, safely on the other side. Gideon heaved a sigh, looking like he would collapse from exhaustion and relief.

On the other side, Chandra slowly craned her neck to look up at Avacyn who was staring back at her with the same, usual, blank expression, as if she hadn't done anything special like suddenly sprout angel wings or rescue her from plummeting to her doom. Tears formed in Chandra's eyes while emotion swelled out from her chest. She wasn't sure whether to break down and cry in Avacyn's arms or react in mystified excitement over what had just happened. In the end, she settled on doing both, letting tears flow freely down her face as she shouted,

"That... was... so... _COOL_! Holy crap, that was so awesome! Are you an angel!? Are those wings real!? You're so _cool_!"

"I'm sure she'll have the peace of mind to thank her later..." Gideon sighed, shoulders sagging as he hunched over. Even though Chandra was safe and sound on the other side, his heart still refused not to pound against his chest.

"Not every day she gets her life saved, huh?" Jace chuckled.

"Everyone!" Avacyn called from across the chasm. "Walk across the bridge one at a time! That way if another one of you falls, I'll be able to catch you!" Once she'd shouted her instructions, she lowered Chandra onto the ground, but she still clung to her, as if they were still floating above a drop.

"Um... You can let go now. You're safe." Avacyn said in a tone that seemed almost nervous as she gently shook herself to try and coax Chandra to free her.

"Oh... right..." Chandra nodded, quickly unwrapping her arms from around Avacyn and taking a big step back. After looking up and gawking at Avacyn's large, feathery wings for a few seconds she brought her attention back to the pale-skinned girl and sheepishly smiled. "And, uh... thanks. You know... for saving me." Avacyn looked back at her for a moment in surprise before a smile slowly formed on her face- like she had to put actual thought and effort into forming the simple emotion.

"You know... it's been a really long time since someone has thanked me like that."

"Like that?" Chandra questioned just as she felt herself being plowed into as thick arms scooped her up off the ground and crushed her in an embrace. Gideon, who had practically run across the walkway, wrapped Chandra in a hug that squeezed the air right out of her lungs.

"Holy shit, Chandra, I thought you were going to die! I thought _I_ was going to die!" He cried as Chandra feebly tried to free herself from his death grip of a hug.

"Hey, it's okay, see, I'm alive!" She said, clearly strained and struggling to speak as he tightly hugged her. "But if you keep crushing me like this I really will die!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the walkway, Liliana chuckled, watching as Gideon apologetically let Chandra go and vehemently thanked Avacyn who looked almost stressed out by the amount of thanks and praise she was receiving.

"Well, that could have ended up worse." She laughed. "I think that's enough stress to last me at least one regular human lifetime."

"Yeah. I guess this is why Avacyn wanted to tag along. She figured she wouldn't be able to stop us and instead decided to come along to keep us from getting ourselves killed." Jace said thoughtfully. "Makes a lot more sense then than the daughter of the dean suddenly just wanting to join us on a really illegal trip to the ruins."

"Yeah, about that." Jace said suspiciously. "Dean Markov is a vampire- we've established this. So why is Avacyn an angel?"

"Maybe that's one of the questions best left alone..."

"Hey, slow pokes! Let's go!" Chandra called from across the walkway, waving with one hand and wiping away tears with the other.

"Well you heard her, let's go risk our lives, too." Liliana chuckled. "You go ahead first. The way Gideon thundered across there I'm pretty sure he might have shaken things up in the infrastructure."

"Gee, thanks." Jace rolled his eyes before heading on ahead, carefully crossing the walkway. Meanwhile, Liliana looked down into the deep chasm, her expression growing serious as she looked down into it.

"It's like a tunnel beneath the city collapsed..." She muttered to herself. "Could this be..." She paused before shaking her head and following after Jace once he'd crossed the dilapidated walkway.

* * *

Most of the day was spent following Chandra around while she ran around and pointed out buildings and odd structures she thought looked interesting- walking along old, crumbling streets and peering into abandoned buildings. She was, however, most interested in the towers that loomed over the city, looking over the desolate city like massive, watchful deities. She took plenty of detours along the way- to inspect the surprisingly clear pools that collected in buildings and below the weaving bridges that connected them full of fish that had been allowed to grow massive without the intervention of people and the buildings that had been left almost completely unrecognizable as housing due to massive tree roots that weaved through windows and doors that lifted the structures off the ground.

There were only a few towers they could actually venture up- the stairs of most of the towers had crumbled away, making the upper levels inaccessible. But Chandra insisted they find a tower they could climb, and refused to take breaks until then. And with how far apart each tower tall enough for Chandra to even consider were from each other and all of the curious, distracted detours she wound up taking, by the time they found one that had a stable stairway it was already long passed noon.

Once they reached the highest-most room they could reach, everyone but Chandra sat down, letting out a collective chorus of exhausted, tired but satisfied sighs. As long as the day had been, and as much walking Chandra had somehow convinced them all to do, the trek itself had been at least interesting and there had yet to be another accident that had required Avacyn to unfurl her wings and save someone from their doom. And Chandra, who had complained the entire fall break thus far, was completely, totally satisfied.

"Chandra, come over here! Liliana brought food!" Gideon called to the red-head, who was standing near what probably had once been a wall but was now just a wide hole exposing the room they rested in to the elements outside. She stood, looking proud with her feet square with her shoulders, her arms folded and her back to them, not responding to Gideon's call.

"Oh, let her enjoy the view. She dragged us all over kingdom come to get here." Liliana laughed as she produced a few plastic containers from her bag. While she hadn't told Emmara where they'd planned to go, she did tell the elven woman they'd be going on a day trip and she insisted she make them lunch. And, if it was one thing Liliana had learned over the years, it was never to refuse Emmara's cooking. Each individual container held something different: fruit sandwiches, stuffed grape leaves and light, fluffy pastries that had begin to melt from being in their plastic casing in Liliana's bag all day. "She'll come over when she realizes she hasn't eaten anything all day."

Curious, Jace took two sandwiches out of one of the boxes and walked over to Chandra to admire the view that seemed to be requiring all of her attention. He expected her to be grinning proudly- having successfully broken into the one place they were never supposed to go and standing above it all. But, instead, she looked rather melancholy as the passing wind blew passed, tossing her hair into her face. She hardly seemed to mind much less care as she looked down at the dead city.

"Hey... Chandra?" Jace spoke up softly. Chandra blinked in surprise, looking to Jace and then to the sandwiches he was holding.

"Oh, hey! Didn't hear you sneak up on me. Are one of those for me?" She asked eagerly, perking up a bit in the presence of tasty-looking and colorful food.

"Only if you like... huh, I don't actually know what fruit Emmara stuffed into these." Jace chuckled, right before Chandra snatched away the sandwich he was examining and took a big bite of it. "So you _were_ hungry."

" _Starving_!" Chandra added, nodding enthusiastically with her mouth full of sandwich. "I just... this entire time I've just been distracted by all that neat stuff, and then we get here and... damn, this _view_!"

"It is really nice." Jace agreed with a nod, taking a bite of his sandwich. There was a short silence that fell between them as they chewed and Chandra struggled to swallow the gigantic bite she had already taken.

"Yeah... nice." Chandra agreed once she'd choked down her mouthful. "But... I don't know, maybe this is just me being sappy. I mean, this place used to be a gigantic city- the most thriving city in all of Ravnica! And now it's nothing but ruins now... maybe that's why..."

"Why what?" Jace asked, pulling back his sandwich he was about to take another bite out of.

"This place... it just makes me feel sad for some reason. Like, I'm pretty sure if the rest of you dorks weren't around right now, I'd probably shed a tear or two for this place." Chandra explained before adding quickly, "But if you tell anyone I said this to you, I'm going to set everything precious to you on fire!"

"Hey, I'm no gossip. The fact you have emotions is safe with me." Jace laughed.

"Smartass."

"Chandra! If you want one of Emmara's pastries you'd better get over here before Gideon inhales them all!" Liliana called.

"Shit! Gideon, don't hog those!" Chandra cried as she tore herself from where she'd been standing, running over to the others to try and salvage one of the sweet desserts for herself. Jace laughed to himself, looking back over the landscape littered with crumbling buildings. He had to admit, Chandra was right. Being in the city had made him pretty sad- especially now, as he looked out at it spread before him.

Wait...

" _If anything, you'll simply feel a wave of melancholy. Nothing but sad memories cling to these ruins for those who lived here before."_

Avacyn's words echoed in his mind. No... it couldn't be... could it? He twisted around to look behind him at the other four, consumed by trying to fight off Gideon from eating everything before he got the chance. It could all just be a coincidence, he thought, that Chandra felt sad looking out over the city. There was a chance his suspicions were only just that, and nothing more. But, maybe, just maybe... If there was a chance to ask Avacyn, it definitely wasn't now.

"Could Chandra be..."

* * *

They'd hardly explored a fraction of the city, but even Chandra knew that it wouldn't be safe to navigate the ruins after dark. So, once the sun began to set, the five of them headed back- back over crumbling walkways and around isolated lakes formed in rubble, through crumbling buildings and through monstrous tree roots that tore up a lot of the smaller structures. And, once they'd one-by one crossed the final walkway back towards the woods, Jace couldn't take the anticipation of feeding his curiosity any longer.

As Liliana, Chandra and Gideon surged on ahead, Jace pulled Avacyn back, keeping them a short distance away.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me?" Avacyn questioned before Jace could even speak- like she knew he had a pressing question he wanted to ask her. Jace wondered to himself which of them was really the mind-reader.

"Y-Yeah, actually..." He began, making sure to keep his tone down. "It's about Chandra. Today, in the tower... she said something that piqued my interest a bit. Maybe this isn't my place to ask- maybe I'm not supposed to know, but... is Chandra-?"

"A reincarnation like you and Liliana?" Avacyn said, speaking at a volume that seemed like she didn't care who heard.

"Shhh, be quiet!" Jace hushed her, looking at the group ahead of them. They were, from what he heard, discussing pie and totally oblivious to what Avacyn had said. He turned back to her, speaking again in a whisper. "Yeah, like me and Liliana. Was there a Chandra Nalaar during that time as well?"

"Hmm..." Avacyn closed her eyes in thought.

"Well?"

"I'm thinking." She told him sternly. "It's been thousands of years since then, Jace, some things are harder to recall..."

"Oh, sorry..." He apologized before waiting patiently in silence for Avacyn to give in the answer he'd been itching to hear. Several minutes dragged by as she thought, and Jace's patience wore thin.

"Look, if it's too difficult for you to remember then-"

"A Chandra Nalaar did live during that time- as did Gideon Jura. The two of them were comrades, even knew each other outside of battle- maybe not as close as they are now, though." Avacyn cut him off.

"What? Both of them!?" Jace exclaimed, forgetting, for a moment, he'd insisted they keep their voices down. "What happened? I mean, did they, you know, die during the war, or...?"

"... Do you really wish to know what happened to them?" Avacyn, despite her usual bland expression, seemed uncomfortable, looking away from Jace in a manner that almost mimicked worry. For a second, it almost made Jace want to say "no", but his own drive to learn got the better of him.

"If you're willing to tell it." Jace nodded. Avacyn sighed, shaking her head, but relaying what he wanted to hear despite her displeasure.

"After Jace Beleren locked away the knowledge of planeswalking and cursed Ravnica, both sides saw it fit to attempt and stop him as well as lift his curse. He'd begun to kill armies from both sides indiscriminately, you see, so something had to be done. The guilds of Ravnica gathered together and decided that, maybe, the only way to lift the Living Guildpact's curse was to kill him. Chandra Nalaar and Gideon Jura were the ones tasked with this important mission."

"What?" Jace gasped, trying his hardest to keep his voice down. "...Then what happened?" Part of him still wanted to know, but now part of him was afraid to know what had befallen the Chandra and Gideon of the past. The way Avacyn looked at him, there was no way it could be good.

"Well, obviously they were unsuccessful in lifting the curse..." Avacyn began. "...However, they were successful in their mission to hunt down and kill Jace Beleren. In the end it was Chandra who dealt the final blow, but in the process, Jace Beleren destroyed the minds of his former fellow planeswalkers, taking both of them with him. He tore their minds apart, not even hesitating to remember that, before, they had fought alongside one another."

"Is that..." Jace looked back up to the others- Chandra and Gideon specifically. "...Is that really what happened?"

"Do you think I'm lying?" Avacyn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No... I guess you'd have no reason to lie."

"You all have your own, tragic pasts. It's your job, as reincarnations of those people, to rise above them, not to be consumed by them." Avacyn continued. "The Jace Beleren from the past killed Chandra and Gideon, not you. If it makes you feel any better, use the life you have now to try and repent for the things the old Jace Beleren has done. But try not to dwell on the past."

"...Do you think we should-"

"No." Avacyn spoke sharply, hitting Jace with a glare that chilled him to the bone.

"What? I didn't even get to finish."

"You were about to ask if we should tell them." She murmured in an angry tone. "I strongly advise you keep what I've told you to yourself. They can only be told when the time is right- if it's ever right. It's a delicate thing, telling someone about their past life. Some people don't take well to knowing."

"How?"

"Do I even need to give an example, Jace? It should be common sense not to tell them unless you really feel they should know. Right now, the Gideon and Chandra of this time are happy, as they should be. Do not drag them into this mess unless it's necessary." She paused, looking deep into Jace's eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Y-Yeah... I do." Jace said, nodding slowly.

"Good, then we have nothing more to discuss." Avacyn said in closing, sharply turning to face in front of her and picking up the pace to catch up with the rest of the group. Jace, however, hung back for a few extra minutes, still digesting everything Avacyn had told him.

Jace Beleren had killed Gideon Jura and Chandra Nalaar. Chandra Nalaar and Gideon Jura, in turn, had killed Jace Beleren. It was a hard set of things to swallow, no matter how much he pondered and thought. He felt it strange how, out of all the memories he'd been shown, that had been left out completely.

"Maybe..." Jace thought to himself, recalling something Liliana had told him what seemed like lifetimes ago. "...That memory doesn't belong to me." He looked up to see Chandra looking back at him, waving to get his attention.

"Come on, slow poke, let's get out of here before it gets dark!"

"Sorry, coming!" He called back, picking up his pace as Chandra turned back to Gideon, lecturing him about the scary amount of pie he consumed.

Maybe Avacyn was right. The Chandra Nalaar and the Gideon Jura before him were happy, and maybe it was best to keep it that way. It was the least he could do, at least, for what he'd done to them before.


	19. Tiring Tasks

Bony fingers, melting flesh, inhuman gurgling and screeching. Jagged, rotting bone digging into flesh and tearing apart muscle. Cruel eyes of the one who had summoned them, watching her hoard tear apart her prey. It wasn't all that long ago that these visions drove Baltrice to wake up screaming, fending herself from a pack of the undead that wasn't actually descending down upon her. They used to drive her to the brink of madness, to where she couldn't even bear the thought of sleeping alone. However, in the short amount of time she'd lived with them- the visions given to her by the former Baltrice (whether or not she even wanted them)- she'd grown almost used to them. Now, waking up, all that she reacted with was a gasp as she sat upright, feeling sweat roll from her brow down her face and pooling around her chin.

Dim, early-morning light just barely managed to weakly shine through her curtains, dying the room in a faint purple glow that matched the thin fabric. Her room had two desks, two beds and closet space enough for two people, just like any other dorm room, but she'd somehow managed to slip by occupying the room by herself. That being said, she certainly wasn't waking up alone. Her companion who had formally been keeping her company in bed now stood by the window, a silhouette against the faint, violet light. She watched in silence for a moment, figuring her waking hadn't been heard, and watched her partner slowly and groggily dress themselves in clothes that had been wrinkled by the night before.

"You're up pretty early, Tezz." She finally spoke up, her voice a half-whisper, like she was trying hard not to startle him. Tezzeret spun around, looking a combination of surprised and guilty.

"Sorry if I woke you." He spoke in a hushed tone, choosing to pass up giving her a good morning and instead apologized. Baltrice chuckled, shaking her head.

"You didn't wake me up. I just had a pretty shitty dream, that's all." She assured him with an eye roll. "Though I wish you were still here in bed with me when I woke up."

"And normally I would be. But you know what today is. Sarkhan expects me to ready bright and early, even though the meeting isn't until tonight..." He explained, turning back around to the window as Baltrice slowly slid out from off her bed. Unlike him, who had dressed himself almost completely before she had woken up, Baltrice was still dressed down to nothing but underwear, and approached him unabashedly. "Tonight's the night things start to go into motion."

"Heh, guess I forgot. Makes sense, though, since Sarkhan pretty much barred me from the guild meeting." She chuckled, shrugging. She eyed him, figuring he had turned the other way so he wouldn't be caught staring at her.

Her assumptions were far from being incorrect. When caught up in passion, Tezzeret normally wouldn't let himself get overwhelmed. But now, the morning after, in the dim light and silence of morning, his head calm and clear, he could never bring himself to look upon her. Baltrice- who was normally so gruff, loud and had a personality that was much too intense for a girl her age- was much softer and beautiful in the hours she spent slowly waking. Her body was stripped bear of all the spikes and layers and piercings that jabbed and covered and caught. Her hair that was normally tossed to one side of her head fell elegantly in all directions. Her eye's were half-lidded, and what little makeup she allowed herself to wear was half-smudged. This was the Baltrice no one but him had the pleasure to see, and he feared if he drank too much of her in, he'd probably never leave until the late afternoon.

"Well, after tonight, things will finally pick up. We'll finally be one step close to reaching our goals." Tezzeret said, still facing away from her. "I just hope Bolas knows what he's doing from here on- !"

He jumped, feeling Baltrice embrace him from behind, her strong arms wrapping around him as her hands reached up and brushed against his chest. She pressed herself up against him in a way that felt like she knew he could feel every curve, and wanted only to make him uncomfortable. Baltrice had never been the type to do something simply for romantics.

"Baltrice!"

"Hush." She whispered. "Just... shut up for a second, okay?"

Tezzeret grudgingly obeyed, but now as he stood statue still, trying and failing not to pay attention to feeling Baltrice embrace him with every inch of her nearly-nude body, he could feel her shaking. It was hardly violent- just a small shiver he otherwise wouldn't have noticed if he were moving or talking- but he could feel it now. A product of her nightmare, perhaps. Her nightmares always seemed to bother him as much as her- mostly because they were only just that: awful, horrifying memories. The former Baltrice only saw it fit to offer up the worst of what she'd experienced to the girl who had been reincarnated after her. And he was present in none of them- even though they'd known one another in their past lives. The old Tezzeret, it seemed, had never given a damn, and that bothered the current Tezzeret the most.

"Are... Are you alright?" He brought himself to ask, reaching up and resting his hands on top of hers.

"I'm fine!" She insisted. "...And I'll be better after tonight. We'll be one step closer to finally being free of this place. We'll be able to leave this plane and go somewhere more suited for freaks like you and me. I want to get out of here, Tezz. Knowing that there are worlds other than this one just waiting for us makes me feel... claustrophobic."

"We'll be free of this place soon, Baltrice. Just give it time." Tezzeret sighed. "The second we're given what Bolas promised, I swear, we'll run as far as we possibly can. I'll whisk you away from this place. Somewhere just for us." He looked over his shoulder, waiting for her to respond- waiting for the words...

"... I love you, Tezzeret."

Those words were like a spell, and Tezzeret felt himself completely taken over. Forcing himself around he reached out and embraced Baltrice, pulling her against him.

Sarkhan would have to wait, important planning for that night be damned.

* * *

"Yo, where are you two sneaking off to?" Jace and Liliana turned around to find Gideon and Avacyn catching up to them- Gideon forcing his way through the thick lunch-hour crowd and Avacyn simply following in his wake. After their trip to the ruins, she'd been present more and more within their group- hardly offering up any words or contributing to what they did, but her presence wasn't an unwelcomed thing. She'd somehow managed to assimilate herself into their group of misfits without any sort of resistance. "Not off to go do something best kept for the bedroom, eh?"

"Ugh, Gideon, I swear to gods I expect that kind of talk from Chandra, but not from you- our relationship isn't like that." Liliana groaned, rolling her eyes. "... Where is Chandra, anyway?"

"Said she had a project she had to work on. Probably her getup for that haunted house she helps out at in town. She works there every year, and every year she spends all of her free time making some terrifying costume." Gideon sighed, probably having been subjected to whatever horrors Chandra created. "It makes me wonder what would happen if she put that much effort into her school work."

"Oh, right, I remember her saying something about that- about how she ordered some fake, gigantic furry hands off the internet or something." Jace chuckled. "And you're welcome to join us if you want. We're actually headed to the infirmary."

"What- Oh! That's right! Miss Tandris was finally chosen as guild leader for Selesnya!" Gideon smiled wide, the news brightening his mood somehow. "As a member of Boros, the least I can do is go down there and congratulate her, too."

"It was a very rushed decision. Usually choosing a guild leader takes up to half the school year." Avacyn added. "I suppose Selesnya found themselves in a situation where they would need someone to represent them. If anything, unless she does a good enough job on such short notice, her place as guild leader may only be temporary."

"Well, that aside, we should still go congratulate her. I'm sure she needs some words of encouragement right about now." Liliana shrugged. "I presume you want to tag along, too?" Avacyn merely shrugged in response- hardly a rude gesture, but simply one to be used in the absence of words. In the short time she'd hung around them, it became almost commonplace to expect her to respond non-verbally, even to questions that required a more complex answer than just yes or no.

"All the guilds seem to be in a massive panic these days- not just Selesnya. Every time I attend a meeting for Boros I can feel the tension in the air." Gideon mentioned as the four of them began to make their way to the infirmary. "Whatever it is, it's shared behind closed doors. I've been a member for a while now, and you'd think they'd trust me, but I must not rank high enough to be made aware just yet."

"Well, whatever it is, it's at least keeping them occupied enough not to turn to outsiders to help them with their dirty work." Jace added. "After fall break was over I figured I'd be swamped with tasks again, but I haven't heard a peep."

"Me either." Liliana agreed. "Maybe they're finally learning to be self-sufficient and that they shouldn't rely on random outsiders."

"Heh, we can only hope."

After fighting their way through the crowds, the four of them finally made their way to the infirmary, but as they opened the door the familiar smell of tea didn't greet them, nor the cheery voice of the school nurse. Instead they found her, head rested on her desk next to a messily arranged pile of paper work. The four visitors looked among one another, silently trying to decide of they should wake her or come back later.

"E-Emmara?" Liliana finally spoke up, and once she had, the elven woman loudly gasped and sat up in her chair, nearly throwing herself back hard enough to send herself tumbling backwards. Righting herself by nearly toppling in the opposite direction and catching herself on her desk, she whirled around, wide eyed as if in a panic before realizing who her guests were. Immediately, she relaxed, a smile stretching across her lips.

"Oh goodness, how embarrassing: getting caught sleeping on the job. I guess I should have expected visitors." She chuckled. "Sorry I didn't think to put tea on. I've been so busy I completely spaced it!" Despite the fact she'd been sleeping, Emmara had bags under her eyes, meaning that she probably had gotten very little sleep before just then.

"Oh, no, it's fine! We should be the ones apologizing, barging in on you like this!" Liliana assured her.

"We just wanted to congratulate you on getting the position of guild leader." Jace added.

"Thanks, it means a lot... I suppose." Emmara's smile faltered a bit as she leaned back in her chair as she whirled around to look at the pile of paperwork she had to do. "I had no idea it would be this stressful, though. I figured it would be a lot of work, but this... plus the stress of being in charge of an entire guild, it's hardly worth it. I guess they brought me on at a bad time."

"A bad time? Why's that?" Liliana questioned.

"Oh well, you see... never mind, I don't think I'm allowed to tell the general student body about what's going on just yet." She turned specifically to Gideon. "You might know what I'm talking about."

"I know the guilds are involving themselves in something massive, but as far as specifics go I'm pretty much in the dark." He shrugged. "I was hoping we'd might be able to get some information out of you, if you were able."

"Unfortunately I'm bound to secrecy. Dean Markov made that point very clear while I was being inducted. I don't normally like being so tight-lipped, especially around friends, but unfortunately I was told to keep quiet on the matter." Emmara apologized. "There's meant to be a large meeting concerning it tonight, though, and I think once that's been done the students will be made aware. So, at the very least, you'll be kept in the dark about it for just one more day."

"They should." Avacyn nodded, suddenly speaking up. "Once the guilds are brought together and planning for what's to come officially begins, there will be no point in keeping all this guild business a secret."

"Wait a second- you know!?" Gideon turned to her, looking surprised.

"I _am_ the daughter of the dean. Even if my father didn't confide in me I'd probably have caught wind of the plans by now. Unfortunately, I too have been ordered to keep my mouth shut about the current transpiring events."

"Gods, even you. All this secret keeping is starting to get annoying."

"Oh!" Jace suddenly gasped, looking to Avacyn. "Could it be about-!?" He immediately shut his mouth, remembering he was in the presence of people who were unaware about the maze that had opened up within the school.

"What? Could be about _what_?" Gideon questioned.

"Nothing, nothing, forget I said anything." Jace tried to shrug it off. "Forget it."

"I swear, it's like you all know something that I don't!" Gideon complained.

"And maybe we do. You'll just have to be a patient little Boros grunt and wait until your guild tells you." Liliana teased before turning back to Emmara. "Sorry to have bothered you."

"It's really no problem- if anything you woke me up so I could get back to filling out all this Selesnya paperwork." Emmara assured her. "I promise the next time you stop by I'll have tea ready. I'm just unimaginably swamped for today. But... Thanks for stopping by and the words of congrats. I hardly got any of that when I was told the news about my promotion in the guild."

"Well good luck. Hopefully things slow down enough where people _will_ be able to stop and congratulate you." Liliana said, forcing a smile.

"The way things sound, it looks like things are only going to get more hectic and busy." Emmara sighed before shaking her head and putting on a convincing smile. "But don't worry about me. I'm stronger than I seem, believe me. Now run along, unless you want to spend your lunch hour watching me fill out paperwork."

"You sure you're okay...?"

"Yes, Lili, I promise, I'm fine. Trust me."

"Alright, if you insist." Liliana sighed in defeat as the four of them filled out. Liliana remained in the doorway a short while longer, continuing her conversation with her friend until Emmara was forced to shoo her away.

"Whatever's happening between the guilds must be incredibly important." Gideon groaned. "Out of all my years being apart of Boros, I don't think there's ever been some sort of event that was so top secret even guild members were kept in the dark."

"I suppose it's back to the lunch room for us, then?" Avacyn asked.

"I was actually thinking of visiting Chandra- or rather, stopping her. She's somewhere in the art department, stealing their supplies for her costume..."

"Hey, Jace." Liliana whispered as she drifted close to him. "You don't think all this guild business has to do with the maze, do you?"

"I was actually starting to think that. I'm not sure what Sorin is thinking, involving all the guilds in something so important."

"Excuse me." A strong, commanding voice interrupted them, and even Gideon, Avacyn and some other students passing by turned to see who had spoken. Standing right behind Jace and Liliana was a girl who looked old enough to be in her final year at the academy. She stood tall and proud, and even when she wasn't speaking she commanded respect and exuded authority. Her brown hair was cut short, almost boyishly so, and her clothes were suited more for someone representing some sort of important company than a student, in varying hues of blue and clean, bleached white. She held a clip board cradled in one arm that she referred to every couple of seconds, checking and rechecking whatever had been written on the papers secured there. Jace had no idea who she was, but the way Liliana and Gideon straightened up, he figured he should do the same.

"Oh, Lavinia. I'd ask to whom we owed the pleasure, but I have a feeling you were sent by Azorius." Liliana spoke in a tone that was respectful on the surface, but Jace could sense a hostile bite lurking just barely beneath.

"You would be correct, Miss Vess." Lavinia responded in a painfully formal manner, looking down at her clip board. "I was sent here specifically to find you and Mister Beleren. Thankfully you two are together, like I was told you'd probably be, so I don't have to give these orders twice."

"Both of us?" Jace questioned.

"Yes, yes, both of you." Lavinia responded snappily. "Normally, freelancers like you and Miss Vess work alone, but since the two of you seem so close and wouldn't mind splitting a reward with one another, it was decided you two were the best fit for the job."

"What job?" Liliana asked, hostility clear in her voice now. Her and Lavinia stared one another down for seconds that seemed to drag by.

"There's no need to be suspicious of Azorius, Liliana. It's no fault of ours you accepted the jobs we gave you." Lavinia shot back, narrowing her eyes. "But, if you're so wary, I can tell you now it has nothing to do with looking into the activities of anyone specific. It's just a simple task we need you and Mister Beleren to take care of for us."

"Fine." Liliana practically hissed. "What is it?"

"Well, as you know, tonight is widely regarded as the night when the boarder between our world and the spirit world is weakened, and souls of the dead can cross over into the world of the living for just one night." Lavinia explained, wrinkling her nose. "I for one chose not to believe in such myths, but it seems the larger part of the student body seems to take a liking to these tall tales and try to make contact with these spirits themselves. It's a popular and widely unruly tradition for students to sneak into the school and see if they can find anything. All they wind up doing, though, is set off the alarms and make trouble for the staff and for authorities. So, every year, we of Azorius are tasked with keeping vigil over the school throughout the night to make sure no one comes in without permission and causes a racket."

"What's stopping you from doing it tonight? Or did you just recently realize it's just another thing you could extort other people to do for you." Liliana growled.

"Your anger is understandable, but it surely isn't appreciated, Miss Vess." Lavinia grumbled. "If you must know, and as you might have possibly even heard, there is currently something very important that will be taking up the time of Azorius tonight. And even if the other guilds were available to shoulder the task, we of Azorius would rather not turn to the others for help. So this is where you'll come in, if you'd be so kind as to assist us."

Liliana grumbled hostilely, not immediately giving an answer. Her and Lavinina stared one another down like two predators refusing to back down from one another. No one existed except the other and the only thing that mattered was forcing the other to waver.

"Hey, if it's not to bust anyone specific, what's the harm, huh?" Jace asked, resting his hand gently on Liliana's shoulder, who inhaled deeply and slowly as she drew away from Lavinia, who did the same.

"Not unless you find anyone skulking around campus at night. But no, we're not sending you after anyone in particular. Even if you catch them, the offenders won't be punished with expulsion." Lavinia specified snappily. "There's really no reason to turn the job down unless you've already made plans or to just blindly continuing to hold that grudge of yours against our guild."

"Ugh, fine, we'll take it." Liliana finally groaned. "If it will make you go crawling back to whoever sent you here then we'll take it!"

"Good to hear. Most everyone we asked prior to this had things they wanted to do tonight. Good thing for us you don't have much of a social life outside of school."

"Excuse me, what was that?"

"Hey, hey, let's not start a cat fight in the middle of the hallway, ladies." Gideon cut in, noticing the growing hostility.

"Ah, Mister Jura. I forgot you associated yourself with the common folk." Lavinia quipped, though her gaze was still on Liliana who Jace was considering holding back in case she moved to pounce. "I don't suppose you're attending the Guild meeting tonight?"

"No... not really." Gideon grumbled.

"Hm, I was so sure you'd at least be brought along. Oh well, this fits my agenda nicely if that just so happens to be the case." Lavinia chuckled.

"And you!" She called over Gideon's shoulder to Avacyn, who simply acknowledged her with a look. "I didn't know you hung out around the riff-raff. It's mighty convenient you're the fourth member in Miss Vess' little rag-tag team and not a certain fiery red head... you are with them, aren't you?"

"Is that a problem?" Avacyn responded icily.

"Not at all. In fact you and Gideon will round out the numbers quite easily." Lavinia began to explain, unhooking a small envelope from her clip board and handing it to Liliana. "There are four key cards in here. It would be insane to just send two people to patrol an entire school."

"Wait, you're sending us with them!?" Gideon questioned, sounding confused.

"Did you have any other plans?" Lavinia questioned doubtfully. Gideon opened his mouth, closed it, and responded with defeated silence. "I thought so. _As I was saying_ , so long as each of you is holding onto one of these, you and anyone else you catch won't set off the alarms. I suggest you don't lose track of them."

"Um..." Gideon spoke up. "Would it be possible to get a fifth one of those cards?"

"Why? If it's so that your current object of affection doesn't feel left out I'll have to decline. We'd hate to have another greenhouse incident, now would we?" She spoke sharply. "Plus, these cards are very difficult to issue. I'm sure Miss Nalaar, at least, has plans that will otherwise occupy her."

"But-"

"Goodness, looks like I've wasted a healthy amount of time already going over all of this." Lavinia interrupted, looking at the watch firmly attached to her wrist. "I'd love to stay and refute whatever it was you were going to say, but I'm quite busy. You all are to meet here at eight o'clock sharp for your watch duties, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Liliana retorted, looking into the envelope. "And do have fun being the obedient little dog of Azorius. It must feel really good to only ever do as your told."

Lavinia only harrumphed in frustration before turning on her heel and hurrying down the hall, the crowds not even slowing her down as she dodged and ducked around people, not even bumping shoulders with them.

"Damn..." Gideon muttered. "I guess it's convenient Chandra _does_ have plans."

"She'd probably get super bored anyway, or maybe even fall asleep somewhere and not do her job." Jace chuckled, gaining a glare from Gideon.

"Ah! There you guys are!"

"Speak of the devil..." Liliana mumbled quietly as they turned to see Chandra running towards them with what appeared to be several different wigs.

"Okay, we have until the end of lunch period to hide these somewhere where the drama club won't find them!" She told them, looking nervously over her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure these are wigs they're actually using right now. They were sort of just lying there out in the open..."

"Why did you have to take so many!?" Gideon asked, suddenly frantic, knowing that Chandra's hands were full of wigs that didn't belong to her that people would actually miss.

"I need a variety of options here! I'll drop them back off once I've used them!" Chandra paused, looking down at the fake hair she had in her grasp. "Of course, I hope they don't mind if they come back a couple inches shorter."

"Gods, Chandra..." Gideon shook his head. "Come on, we're taking those wigs back."

"What!? Come on, Gideon, stop being such a spoil sport!" Chandra protested.

"I'll stop being a 'spoil sport' when you stop taking things that don't belong to you." Gideon scolded, beginning to head back the way Chandra had come. "Now come on, or I'm going to drag you all the way back."

"Uugh! You're no fun!" Chandra complained, following morosely after him. As he left, however, he looked over his shoulder, giving the other three a nod.

"A whole night just wandering the school, looking for break-ins. At the very least, it will be an experience..." Liliana sighed once Gideon and more specifically Chandra were out of earshot.

"Let's just hope Chandra doesn't somehow find out." Jace added. "If she does, we'll never hear the end of how we left her out of something."

* * *

That night was bitter cold, forcing everyone to layer up before they made their way to the academy building. Even though it wasn't as if they were up to no good, the entire trip there was accented my whispers, shushing and making sure no one had followed them- but the later was mostly to make sure Chandra hadn't tried to tag along. She'd seemed awfully suspicious about everyone's reasons as to why they wouldn't be able to drop by the haunted house that she'd painstakingly prepared for. And although Gideon had assured them all that he'd seen her off and that she was probably hard at work and nowhere around the academy campus, it was impossible to tell for sure.

"Alright, the sooner we get inside, the sooner we can escape this cold!" Liliana huffed, rubbing her hands together for warmth as Jace searched his pockets for the key cards Lavinia had given him.

"I really doubt anyone is going to want to wander around tonight unless they want to freeze." Gideon nodded, hands stuffed into his pockets to keep warm.

"Yeah, we've hardly been outside for very long and I already can't feel my fingers." Jace spoke in agreement.

Avacyn, who stood among them, ever the silent companion, had no comment to add about the cold. In fact, out of everyone, she was the most dressed down- her only defense against the cold being a thick, black muffler.

"Are you _sure_ Chandra didn't just sneak around and follow you guys here?" Liliana asked as they arrived at one of the many side doors of the academy. The main doors still were blocked off due to construction (that really was a ruse to hide the maze entrance).

"I swear, as far as she knows, we're all back at the dorms studying." Gideon assured her. "She put a lot of work into that costume of hers, so I doubt she'd pass up the opportunity to use it to follow us around at night."

Just as Gideon finished speaking, a looming figure rose quickly from one of the hedges placed near the door, hands held high above their head and howling like an animal. Liliana and Gideon jumped and Avacyn merely turned in the direction of what appeared to be a dog-like feral creature with a large snout and fangs poking out of it's mouth. Jace, on the other hand, let out a shout of surprise as he, too, jumped in fright. That single, terrified sound that escaped him seemed to cause the creature to double over laughing- a familiar, high-pitched cackle that could only belong to one person.

"Chandra!" Gideon shouted in a scolding tone. The beast laughed only a few more moments before grasping it's disgusting-looking head with it's oversized, clawed paws and pulled it right off, revealing Chandra beaming widely beneath it.

"Oh my gods, you should have seen the looks on your faces!" She laughed heartily as she stumbled out of the bushes. Along with the face and paws, she wore an oversized, ripped up T-shirt spattered with what was meant to look like blood and pants made to look like they were the bare legs of an animal. Even her shoes were several sizes too big with fake, furry toes poking through the torn material. "And Jace... _AAAH_!" She imitated him to the best of her ability while she laughed.

"Shut up, alright! You just caught me off guard!" Jace shot back, feeling his face grow warm despite the cold.

"Then I should catch you off guard more often- you scream like a sissy!" Chandra chuckled, making her way over to them.

"I knew you guys were up to something: sneaking around the school at night without me! I honestly feel really insulted you wouldn't invite me to such a thing!"

"We aren't sneaking around, Chandra, we're here with permission from Azorius." Jace explained, sounding both annoyed and exceptionally embarrassed as he showed her the four key cards he'd pulled from his pocket. "We're actually here to keep people from sneaking around."

"Well I still can't see why I couldn't come along!"

"It's because we were told not to bring-!" Jace began before Gideon punched his arm.

"We don't have enough key cards." Gideon lied, glaring at Jace who rubbed his arm in pain. "And you already had that gig down at that haunted house, so..."

"This would be way more awesome than running around and scaring little kids, though!" Chandra groaned. "I mean, they say that spirits roam these halls at night- especially on nights like tonight! Come on, you have to let me come with!"

"You'd have to stick beside one of us at all times." Gideon told her. "You wouldn't be able to go chasing after anybody or walking off on your own, understand?"

"Gideon!" Liliana hissed.

"I promise!" Chandra shouted excitedly. "Just... come on, let me join you guys! My night will be ruined now that I know you guys are all off doing something without me!"

"I honestly don't see any problem that would arise so long as she stayed with someone." Avacyn added before Jace or Liliana could protest.

"...Fine!" Liliana sighed, rolling her eyes. "But, if you get us in trouble, I swear I'm locking you in a room filled to the brim with spiders!"

"I understand!" Chandra smiled from ear to ear, saluting with one of her big, fake costume paws.

"You'd better." Liliana grumbled, taking the card key Jace gave her and running it through the scanner built into the door. With a loud, hollow click, the door slowly opened slightly before them, waiting to be pushed open the rest of the way. "The last thing I want is all of Azorius getting on our asses."

"Well, I guess we should go in..." Jace sighed, watching Chandra as she threw the fake wolf head and paws into the bushes, possibly to hide them so she could come back for them later. "I can already tell it's going to be a long, long night."


	20. What Lurks in the Dark

The dark corridor the group of five slowly shuffled into was pitch black and as quiet as the dead. It was the hallway that led to rooms dealing with the heating and electric and whatever odd storage the school needed, so even during school hours the place hardly saw any traffic. The darkness, however, was a bit overwhelming for some.

"Did... anyone bring a flashlight?" Chandra asked, craning her neck in both directions to look at every member of the party.

"No, we're going to just grope around in the dark and hope we develop echolocation." Liliana sarcastically quipped as she pulled out a flashlight from her bag. Without a word, Avacyn produced one, too, shining it in Chandra's face as if to wordlessly make a mocking statement about Chandra's question.

"Okay, okay, jeeze! I see!" Chandra moaned, swatting Avacyn and her flashlight away.

"Where should we check first?" Gideon asked. A thoughtful silence fell over the group. It was just the high school campus, but even so it was impressively large. Not to mention the entire building was quite old and could probably have a series of books written about the odd rumors of hauntings and visits from demons and fiends that were associated with the campus. There was no real place to officially begin their search- just the act of picking a direction and randomly heading that way.

"Well, the art department is that way, and you always hear students telling ghost stories about the theater..." Liliana listed off, pointing her flashlight in one direction before casting the beam of light down another way. "And that way is the science wing, and if I remember right a bunch of kids were caught trying to perform a seance in one of the labs."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that one. Something about someone from Izzet egging them on because they wanted actual, scientific proof of ghosts." Chandra pipped up.

"We live in a world full of magic and mythical creatures, and yet you have a group of people, consisting of both, asking for scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts. Sometimes I miss the olden days..." Liliana sighed.

"Gods, how old _are_ you?" Gideon laughed jokingly, though it looked like, for a second, that Liliana was about to seriously answer.

"Hey! Why don't we all just split up?" Chandra suddenly interjected, a smile that was a few sizes too wide spread across her lips. It was the kind of smile she wore when she was clearly up to something and was trying to hide it. Everyone looked to her- Gideon, Jace and Liliana in nervous suspicion and Avacyn in quiet patience.

"I don't think-" Jace began.

"What? It makes a little more sense to split the party, doesn't it?" Chandra asked. "I mean, we'll cover more ground if we split up..." She paused, taking note of how most of her friends were staring at her. "And I don't have one of those nifty little card things, so I can't go off on my own and cause trouble. So even if we do split up, you don't have to worry about me doing anything off limits."

"W-what? We weren't worried about..." Gideon began, unable to truly finish his mediocre lie.

"Oh yes we are." Liliana finished before clicking her tongue and sighing. "But, she does have a point."

"What!?" Jace and Gideon exclaimed in unison.

"We'll cover more ground that way, and like she said, she'll have to glue herself to the hip of whoever has a key card, so she won't be able to run off and set anything on fire or steal anything." She continued. Chandra grinned in victory, aiming her sneer up at Gideon especially as he groaned in defeat.

"Alright, so teams it is!" Chandra chuckled, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

"Well, I'll team up with Jace and we'll go inspect the science wing and fan out from there." Liliana began to explain.

"What, so you guys can have some privacy and start macking on one another?" Chandra laughed before Liliana reached out, grabbed the goggles she had pushed up around her forehead, pulled, and released them to smack her in the face. "OW! Shit, I was kidding!"

"And Gideon and Avacyn can team up with Chandra and do your rounds in direction of the art department." Liliana continued in an angry mutter.

"Why not have Avacyn go off on her own!? She has her own key card, doesn't she?" Chandra asked, rubbing her face in pain and glaring at Liliana through her fingers.

"That's true, but I'm pretty sure Gideon alone won't be able to keep you from doing questionable things and..." Liliana explained, casting a look Gideon's way, who stepped back, looking offended. "Avacyn was the only one with the sense to actually bring a flashlight."

Chandra and Gideon looked to Avacyn just as she took her light source and shown it under her chin, like she was trying to create some sort of scary effect with the lighting while still remaining as stoic and stone-faced as ever. The two of them both groaned in defeat for varying reasons.

"And if we find anyone, we'll call each other. Chances are at that point whoever we find will scatter, and we'll need backup." Jace added. "So keep your phones handy."

"Yes, sir." Chandra spoke in a dull-sounding drone before raising her pitch to an impatient whine. "Let's get a move on already! Times a-wasting!" She reached up, hooking arms with Gideon who had to lean down to accommodate her.

"...Your enthusiasm about this really scares me, but I guess we are going to have to let you guys go on your way eventually." Jace sighed, unable to shake the feeling that Chandra was up to something.

"Don't let Chandra get into any trouble." Liliana ordered as her and Jace turned to leave. "If anything goes wrong, we're going to blame you, Gideon!"

"H-hey, wait a minute! Avacyn's here, too, why do I have to shoulder all the blame!?"

"You're all talking like I've already done something bad." Chandra grumbled as they watched Jace and Liliana vanish down the dark hallway and around the corner. "Who's to say I'm just tagging along to legitimately help out!?"

"They're simply worried because you're the odd man out. If you step a toe out of line and get too far behind or ahead, you'll set off the alarms placed in these halls and we'll wind up being punished for letting you join." Avacyn explained simply, beginning to head in the direction of the art department. "And... We _were_ told specifically by Lavinia not to bring you along, after all."

"What!? Ugh, that _bitch_..." Chandra muttered as her and Gideon followed after her. "And you guys didn't even bother telling me at all!"

"Please, Chandra, you can get upset with us later, but not right now. Right now, we have a job to do. You can get mad at me and everyone else all you want when we're done here." Gideon muttered.

"Whatever..." Chandra murmured before running into Avacyn from behind, who had come to a sudden stop in front of her.

"Hey! Avacyn-!"

"You two can go on ahead." Avacyn spoke up, turning and handing Gideon her flashlight. "There's something I need to look into presently."

"B-but, what about-!?" Gideon began.

"I'm certain you'll be able to handle Chandra on your own without my aid." Avacyn said with a half-smile. "I'll return shortly. I just need to inspect something on my own."

"B-but... your flashlight!"

"Even in the darkest night, there will always be the sparest amount of light I can use for navigation. I have no use for it." She explained before turning and running off down a smaller hallway that branched off from the one they were headed down, her silvery hair flowing behind her being the last thing they saw of her before her form was consumed by darkness.

"Hmm..." Chandra mumbled, craning her neck in every direction before sneering. "Heheh, good, we're finally alone. Now we can put my plan into action!"

"W-what plan!?" Gideon gasped. " _Ooooh no_ , you said-!"

"I didn't say diddly-squat, Jura." Chandra chuckled. "I mean, I did take offense to the fact you people always thing I'm up to no good, but-"

"But you are!"

"Yeah, but not all the time!" Chandra rolled her eyes. "I mean, sometimes I'm asleep."

"Well, whatever you have planned you can forget it. I'm not going along with whatever odd vandalism or heist you came here to pull off. For once, you're not going to drag me into one of your schemes!" Gideon crossed his arms, standing firm before Chandra who looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"At least here me out before you flat-out refuse, okay?" She chuckled, circling around him playfully. "Tell me... Do you think that 'construction' they've got going on in the main hall is suspicions?"

"Well, no, not particularly. I mean, they've been doing construction on this school on and off since I was enrolled, so..." Gideon answered slowly, following Chandra with his eyes.

"Really, now?" Chandra questioned, stopping in front of him with her hands placed firmly on her hips. "Then tell me, have you once seen any piece of machinery being brought in and out of there? And where's all the noise!?"

"Well, they probably do construction when students aren't around. They probably don't want us getting distracted by-"

"Oh gosh, when have they ever cared about us getting pulled away by our studies by construction. I remember last year they had the entire common room closed off and all day I heard jack hammers and buzz saws!" Chandra groaned. "That, and, if they gave a damn about noise control at all, they wouldn't have even okayed your request to bring in those ridiculous speakers- Boros' good word or not."

"Hey!"

"What I'm getting at is I don't think they're doing construction at all! And it's not just me, a lot of people are starting to wonder what they have got going on in there!" Chandra continued. " _I_ think... they're hiding something."

"Oh, please, Chandra. What could they possibly be hiding?" Gideon rolled his eyes.

"I don't know! Something cool, probably! Or maybe something really scandalous they don't want us students knowing about."

"Riiiight. A big, ol' scandal being hidden right in the main hallway. I mean, it sounds only logical." Gideon snorted.

"Don't you dare make fun of me! You can scoff all you want, but I know you're probably just as curious as I am!" Chandra snapped in frustration. "This could be our only chance to find out what they're hiding in there!"

"And what if I say no, huh?" Gideon questioned, holding up the key card he'd been given. "The way I see it, I'm the one who decides where we do and do not g-!"

Before he could finish, Chandra leaped with surprising speed at him, swiping at his hand to grab the card. Narrowly, Gideon managed to pull the card away, but not his hand as her fingers brushed against his- her fingers she'd warmed up with magic to feel like she'd just run hot tongs over his digits.

"SHIT!" He exclaimed in both surprise and agony, releasing the card as he pulled his hand close to him. A laugh of triumph escaped Chandra as she caught the key card in her hand, sticking out her tongue in mocking victory.

"Seems the tables have turned, isn't that right, my darling?" She chuckled, pressing the card to her lips.

"Gods damn, Chandra, that actually really hurt..." Gideon mumbled before he looked up from his burned hand to the offender.

"Now, what was that thing you said not too long before this...?" She sneered, acting like she was actually pondering hard about something. She pressed the card against her lips as a smile slowly crept across them. 

"Chandra..." Gideon spoke in a warning tone.

"Hmm, oh, right, I believe it was," Chandra laughed, before mocking impersonating Gideon and spoke a low, forced falsetto, "the way I see it, I'm the one who decides where we do and do not go."

" _Chandra_!"

"And it is my decision that we head to the main hall- post haste!" She cheered before breaking into a run that Gideon had to immediately match despite how much he didn't want you.

"You're going to get us both into trouble, I hope you know!" Gideon shouted as they ran. "I'm getting really tired of you dragging me around so you can satisfy every little curiosity!"

"Hey, now, no need to get angry." Chandra narrowed her eyes, slowing down just a bit. "I'm not going to lie, you do let yourself get dragged into things a lot-"

"By you!"

"But we haven't gotten into trouble yet, have we? I wouldn't bring you into something where I wasn't 100% sure we'd make it out without getting into trouble. I take your weird rule-abiding complex into consideration whenever I decide to do something."

"And if we get caught this time...?" Gideon asked apprehensively.

"We'll just tell them we thought we heard someone skulking around the main hall. I mean, we're here pretty much on guard duty, no one can really question what we say." Chandra explained, sounding extremely sure of herself.

"No, _I'm_ on guard duty." Gideon corrected her. " _You're_ not even supposed to be here."

"Then tell them you found me here- that I broke in and you caught me breaking in."

"B-But..." Gideon's demeanor immediately shrunk, not expecting Chandra to throw herself under the bus almost immediately. "I... I couldn't possibly..."

"Heh, exactly. All the more reason to not get caught if you don't want all the blame on my shoulders." Chandra grinned widely before picking up the pace once more. "Now come on, move it or lose it!"

"Ugh..." Gideon shook his head, following after her until they reached the main hall- or at least, the sliver of the main hall they could walk freely through. The space between the actual walls and the makeshift wooden one that surrounded most of the massive room left hardly any room for even a single person to pass through with their back to the wall.

Slowly, the two of them shuffled around the perimeter until Chandra found what looked to be a door carved into the wood- possibly for workers to pass in and out, if there were any.

"Just promise me we'll be in and out, alright?" Gideon spoke in a whisper as Chandra grabbed the chains and lock that held the door in place (She'd been getting a lot of practice in for melting only certain objects to make her way into places she wasn't meant to be, it seemed).

"Sure... if what's behind here isn't interesting." Chandra chuckled under her breath as the chains warped and melted in her hand. "And I'm pretty sure it's going to be, sooooo..."

Not bothering to finish, she yanked the chains off the door and pushed it open, giddily running inside with Gideon close behind her. At first, they stood in silence, looking around the seemingly empty room. There was no signs of any construction happening or having happened. The room looked exactly as if had before the walls went up- not a tile or trimming out of place. Everything seemed to be in order- that was, until Chandra found herself stepping into a hole and crashing down a flight of stairs. There was no time to wonder where the stairs or the hole they were in had come from, of where they led- only enough to gasp and cry out as she tumbled down them, all the way until she reached the bottom.

"Chandra!" Gideon gasped, not having time to question the existence of the stairway into a hole that had been opened up in the main hall either as he stumbled down the stairs after her and dropped down to her side. "Chandra, are you alright!?"

"Y-Yeah..." She groaned as Gideon helped her right herself. "At least, I think so."

"Well, consider this karma for getting us into something we clearly shouldn't be getting into..." Gideon sighed after he quickly assessed nothing was broken or bleeding. Chandra allowed it, only flinching a bit as he patted her down. "That being said... what the hell is this place?"

"Are they building another floor beneath the school?" Chandra muttered, rubbing her head as she looked down the hall that stretched before them. Gideon pointed the flashlight down into the darkness, but the hall was so long and dark, it only successfully defined just how far the tunnel went, as well as creeped the two of them out.

"I... I don't think they just started building this place." Gideon said, sounding unnerved. "It looks like, whatever this is, it's been here a really long time."

Silence fell between them, which surprised Gideon, at least. He'd expected Chandra to be ablaze with excitement over having found such a place behind hidden in the main hall. A mysterious tunnel hidden beneath the school seemed exactly the type of thing to get her fired up. But, as he looked to her, she was simply staring down the darkness, her mouth half agape. She seemed transfixed by something, but as Gideon looked down into the dark tunnel he saw nothing but endless darkness.

"Chandra? What is-?"

"Shh!" Chandra cut him off sharply, pushing him away and scrambling to her feet. "Do... do you hear that?" Gideon looked up at her in confusion before looking back in the direction of the tunnel, straining himself to hear what Chandra was apparently hearing.

"Hear what?"

"Shut up!" Chandra hissed. "...That... that noise. It..." Her expression changed dramatically from curiosity to concern as she clutched at her chest. "It sounds like someone is crying."

"... Okay, Chandra, I'm freaked out now. You can cut it out now. You win." Gideon urged her, slowly rising to his feet. "Now, let's go before we-"

Without a word, Chandra broke into a run down the narrow corridor into the darkness, her charge forward seeming almost frantic.

"Chandra!" Gideon called after her before running after her, trying desperately to catch up to the girl who was running full speed with a healthy head start. But, before he could catch up to her, he was suddenly surrounded by darkness, both Chandra and the exit at his back vanishing behind a veil of shade. Skittering to a halt, Gideon whirled around, immediately becoming disoriented on which was was forward and backward as he aggressively swung his arm around, trying to locate something familiar with his flashlight.

There was no way he'd already strayed that far down the tunnel. There was no way Chandra had gotten that far head. He couldn't even hear her footsteps anymore.

"Chandra!?" He called out into the blackness (though he had no idea if he was actually calling in the direction she had run). "Chandra, this isn't funny!"

"Gideon." Gideon whirled around, hearing what he assumed to be Chandra speaking to him in a surprisingly calm tone. He was half a second away from snapping at her when he came to find... well, she certainly _looked_ like Chandra: the same fiery red hair, the same spatter of freckles, the same round, childish face. But right away he knew it wasn't the Chandra he'd been following after, at least. This Chandra seemed a little older- just slightly more mature- and wore clothes that would be more at home in some historical reenactment- armor and chainmail, like she was suited up for battle. It was definitely not the dismantled haunted house costume he'd seen her in last, that was for sure.

"Ch...Chandra?"

"You must not involve yourself with the Living Guildpact." She spoke to him in a tone serious enough to give Gideon shivers.

"Chandra... what are you talking about? What's with this get-up?" He reached out to touch her, but his hand phased right through, feeling nothing but a chill in the air that made him shudder as he pulled his hand away. Chandra looked to her shoulder where he'd attempted to touch her, looking forlorn. "What... What are you?"

"You must not involve yourself with the Living Guildpact." She repeated before slowly raising her head. A violent shiver ran up Gideon's spine as she looked to him, blood now flowing out her nose and blood-shot eyes. His mouth was open, but he couldn't manage a scream. "If you know what's good for you... and for her. The Living Guildpact will only bring about calamity, and you'll meet the same fate..." The ghostly Chandra suddenly looked incredibly sad. "There was nothing I could do... I'm sorry..."

* * *

Chandra stumbled through the darkness, hardly realizing light had totally vanished. Something propelled her- something beyond common sense, like an instinct that told her to keep running. The darkness that deterred her no longer bothered her as she ran blindly forward, the noise she heard growing steadily louder.

"Where are you!?" She called into the blackness. "H-Hey-!"

With a gasp, she tripped over her own two feet, falling forward and skidding to a halt on the rough, rocky ground. She groaned in both pain and annoyance once she came to a stop, face down on the ground.

"Gods damn... Gravity really has it in for me today..." She muttered as she raised her head, coming to find she wasn't alone. She didn't, however, find comfort in the company she now kept.

A person, their back to her, sat hunched over a pile of rubble that had fallen from she knew not where, quietly sobbing. It amazed her that such a quiet noise had reached her ears, but it was, without a doubt the noise she had heard. Whoever they were, their features were hidden by a a blue cloak with white, archaic-looking markings flowing down the back. Their hood was up, concealing their head and face from view. In any normal circumstances, the scene wouldn't frighten Chandra at all, but something about it let her quivering.

"U-Um... Hey? What's wrong?" She asked, slowly rising to her knees. "Are you lost? What happened- AH!"

From the angle she had shifted to, she could now see there was something under the pile of rubble: a body. Chandra froze, more afraid of the fact she recognized the person under the chunks of stone more than the scene itself.

"Li... Lili..." She stammered, feeling queasy. "Liliana...?"

She was dressed much differently, and there was a maturity in her now-pale face that made her seem a little more weathered and traveled, but she was unmistakably Liliana.

A choked squeal of fright escaped Chandra's lips as she scrambled backward, trying to rise to her feet and failing several times as she backed up, eyes fixed on the corpse of what she could only assume was her friend.

"W-What happened!?" She called out to the hooded figure looming over the body half-buried in rubble. They only responded with crying, clutching one of the limp hands of the corpse desperately. Chandra dared to call out again, her voice cracking. "I said, what happened!?"

"What's the point?" The figure finally answered back, their voice low and almost hateful. And yet, it was strangely familiar, like Chandra had heard it somewhere before.

"E...excuse me?" Chandra asked, her voice quivering and wavering.

"What's the point of going on if she's dead?" The figure continued to mutter, not necessarily in response to Chandra's question. "This is... This is all _their_ fault. _They_ all should pay..."

"H-Hey..." Chandra stammered just as the hooded figure turned around, eyes focused on her. A sinking feeling overcame her as yet another familiar face looked back at her, eyes full of disdain, the edges of his irises burning blue with the twinge of mana. Somewhat different and somewhat older, just like Liliana, there before her was Jace, looking back at her like she were the enemy- like _she_ had killed Liliana.

"J... Jace?"

Jace remained silent as he rose to his feet, cool, chilling gaze fixed on her as he raised a single hand in her direction, glowing a bright, brilliant blue with a readied spell.

"I'll make all of you pay for what you have made me lose!"

Overcome with fear, a full-bodied, loud screech finally escaped Chandra as she found the will to both stand and flee as fast as she could. What was going on!? And why, oh why was Jace-!?

Before Chandra could finish her thought or even take a few, good steps she ran headlong into something- or rather someone who cried out in surprise as she plowed into them and knocked them down. She soon followed suit, collapsing on top of them with a surprised shout of her own. Trembling from fright and a burst of adrenaline, Chandra immediately opened her eyes, identifying Gideon lying beneath her, rubbing his head in pain. No time to stop and help her companion up, she instead scrambled over him, finding herself right in front of the stairs she was so sure she had run very far away from.

"Chandra!?" Gideon gasped, clumsily rolling around to face her and stand up as well. "What's... what's going on!?"

Only seconds ago, he'd been facing down the ghostly form of Chandra, warning about... something, he had no idea what. But then he heard the real Chandra scream in terror, followed shortly by her running him into the ground. The entrance to the hallway he thought they had drifted far from was right before them, as if they'd just entered, and the darkness that had consumed all light around them had vanished.

"Jace! J-Jace is-!" Chandra cried out, pointing down towards the depths of the tunnel, only to find no one was there. Jace was gone, Liliana was gone- it was just Gideon, the flashlight he had lying at his feet as he looked up at her in fright and confusion.

"...Jace is what?" He questioned, looking over his shoulder to see the same emptiness Chandra had.

"I...I saw..." Chandra paused to gulp, her shaking legs finally giving out from beneath her as she collapsed on the step she'd bounded up to. "He... he..."

"What you saw wasn't Jace Beleren- at least, not the one you know." The cool voice of Avacyn echoed from the top of the steps. Both Gideon and Chandra's heads snapped up as they jumped in surprise by having been joined by the pale-faced angel. "None of what either of you two saw was real. It was simply... old memories clinging to this place- clinging to you."

"What are you... talking about?" Chandra muttered.

"I suppose you could call them ghosts, if you want, from a time long passed." Avacyn explained.

"B-But... I saw _Jace_!" Chandra shouted, slowly rising back to her feet. "How is that, if those things are ghosts from the _past_!?"

"And I..." Gideon began to add before drawing back, clamping his mouth shut.

"You saw something, too!?" Chandra gasped. "What was it!?"

"I..." Gideon wavered, gaze traveling downwards. "I saw you, Chandra. I saw... you."

" _Me_!?" Chandra gawked. "But... that's..."

"Confusing for you, I'm sure." Avacyn cut in. "And while there's no denying you did see Jace Beleren and Chandra Nalaar, they weren't the ones alive today. Those are the memories... the spirits of Jace and Chandra who have been long since dead."

"Okay, you're making less and less sense here!" Chandra snapped, fear and shock slowly evolving (or devolving) into frustration. She wanted answers, and straight answers weren't Avacyn's strong point, it seemed. "What in the hell do you mean 'long since dead' huh!?"

"It seems... I have some explaining to do." Avacyn sighed, slowly drifting away from the hole, expecting Chandra and Gideon to follow her. "Come out of there and I'll tell you everything you need to know. You simply need to promise me you'll keep an open mind concerning the matter."

* * *

"...You think Chandra and Gideon-" Jace began shortly after their friends had vanished from their site once they had turned the corner.

"Are going to get into trouble? Yeah, they probably are." Liliana finished with a shrug. "We can only hope that Avacyn will try and keep them in check. Though, with that girl's level of apathy she'd probably just watch even if Chandra started burning the place to the ground."

"You know, I'm really starting to regret sending those three off together. Now that I think about it, it's a recipe for disaster." Jace muttered, looking over his shoulder. "Maybe we should-"

"Shh!" Liliana hissed, grabbing him by the shoulder and forcing him to face forward again. "I heard something!"

"What?" Jace asked quietly.

"Use your damn ears!" She whispered harshly back, nodding in the direction she'd heard the noise. Jace winced a bit before obeying, listening carefully for any out-of-the-ordinary noises. At first, all he heard was silence and his own breathing. But then, from out of what he thought was dead silence...

Footsteps. Hushed chattering. Quiet chuckles.

"Shit! I didn't actually expect to find anyone!" Jace cursed.

"And this irks you?"

"Just... come on, before they set off any alarms!" Jace sighed as he broke into a quick and quiet speed walk in that direction. Liliana followed suit only a moment before stopping, a look of realization on her face. The wing of the school they were in... it was...!

"Wait! Jace!" She whispered as loud as she could, but Jace wither couldn't hear or wasn't listening. "Jace! Gods dammit, wait!" She picked up her pace once more, reaching out to try and stop Jace before he made a scene she realized he didn't have to. However, before she could get the chance, he had rounded the corner before them and was shouting for a group of what she figured were students to stop. At that point, once she finally reached his side, all she could do was sigh and shake her head.

"Hey!" Jace shouted, taking the flashlight from Liliana and shining it in the group of strangers' direction. Part of him immediately regretted it by the way the group turned to look at him, like he was in the wrong- like he was the trespasser.

Not to mention they were a scary looking group indeed.

The more normal-looking one was a girl a little younger than him who was taking up the rear. Her manner of dress was also on the normal side in comparison to the others: tight and expensive clothing all in stunning white and deep, dark black. Her hair was cut short save for her bangs on either side of her face that were left long. A jagged lip ring shown right below her bottom lip in the light of Jace's flashlight. And although she appeared the most normal, her stare was enough to make Jace shiver.

Next was a figure Jace couldn't quite tell was a boy or a girl, both or neither. Their clothes were baggy and were draped over what he assumed to be a strong, more masculine form, but even that was iffy, especially when compared to the person's more effeminate looking features- at least, the features Jace could see. The top half of their head- from nose for forehead- as hidden by a hood that was pulled much too far over their face.

Next in the group was a man who's height and girth made Jace uncomfortable, even from afar. He was dressed more like he was going off on some sort of day's long trip into the wilderness to hunt game more than simply walking around in campus.

Just barely in view around his muscle was a gorgon girl, each one of the tentacles that waved and bobbed from her head seeming to be facing towards him threateningly. She wore sunglasses, but that was the norm- gorgons were more than welcome on campus, but for the safety of the students they were usually advised to wear anything that covered their eyes. But even though he only had a very small window where he could clearly see her, there was something about the gorgon girl that unnerved Jace a considerable amount.

"What do _you_ want?" The girl taking up the back of the group asked, her voice chilling and sharp.

"I-" Jace began, stumbling over the first word that came out of his mouth and being forced to start over at half the confidence he'd begun with (which was hardly at half capacity even at that point). "I'm here on behalf of Azorius... to find people breaking into... the school..."

The longer Jace spoke, the louder the chuckles and snorts of laughter from the group became, and by the time he finished they probably didn't even hear him.

"What in the hell is so funny- _whoa_!?" He shouted just as Liliana placed a hand on his shoulder and jerked him back.

"What!?"

"Jace, please just..." Liliana muttered, unable to finish before a familiar sounding voice echoed from somewhere in the hall.

"Wow, you've spent almost half a year at this school, and no one has told you about the night class?" The group parted to make way for an unseen fifth member of their party who revealed themselves to be Baltrice, shit-eating grin stretched from ear to ear. "Honestly, I'm wondering whether or not I should be offended."

"Oh gods..." Liliana mumbled under her breath. The last thing she needed was Baltrice showing up on top of everything else.

"Night class?" Jace questioned, turning to Liliana who looked a frightening mixture of embarrassed and irritated.

"It was originally an after-hours class meant for students who couldn't find the time to attend school during the day or couldn't venture outside while it was light." She explained to him through clenched teeth. "...But lately, it's usually a dumping ground for students who have been given their final warning for causing too much trouble. Usually, if the offense is minor enough, students are _usually_ made to attend the night class where they won't bother any of the other students, since expulsions look really bad on the school's record."

"And it seems, unless we make a real effort to hang around school during the day, we become almost irrelevant to even mention." Baltrice sighed sarcastically, faking offense. "Which is a shame- a few of us are here voluntarily, but everyone likes to pretend we don't exist, or that we're all just a bunch of no-good kids."

"This coming from the girl who started all that drama with professor Rakdos and had to be removed from regular school hours last year." Liliana shot back.

"He had what was coming to him. My only regret is that he didn't actually get fired for what he did to me when I was punished for what I did with him. Seems a little unfair..." Baltrice narrowed her eyes.

"So, you're here on business for Azorius?" The normal-looking girl asked, sounding snide. "I'm guessing they're exhausting all their actual man power to flail around chaotically about the meeting happening between the guilds tonight. So instead they hired their little attack dog and her ill-informed, jumpy lackey."

"Speaking of that, why aren't you there, Teysa? Aren't you pretty high up in rank? Or are they starting to realize your place in Orzhov is kind of irrelevant now that you've done everything for them they needed you to do?" Liliana snapped back.

"Want to run that by me again, bitch?" Teysa growled before she was stopped, pulled back by the androgynous member of the party who it was impossible to tell if they were bothered or not.

"Don't even bother, Teysa, she isn't even worth our time." They spoke sharply. "If she didn't kiss so much guild ass, she'd probably be down here with us. She's no better."

"Hmph," Teysa grunted, pulling her hand away. "Don't touch me, Ashiok, I wasn't actually going to fight her." Under her breath she continued to speak in a voice just barely audible. "I mean, I just got my nails done. Do you know how much a job like this even costs?"

"Wouldn't that be a treat, though, if she did wind up attending night class with all of us?" The larger of the five said, his words spoken practically in a growl. His tone was almost chilling, and his gaze as he looked to Liliana seemed incredibly predatory. "I mean, a lot of us were forced to attend night classes because of her."

Jace noticed, in the corner of his eyes, that Liliana took a cautionary step backward as the burly man spoke.

"Garruk's got one hell of a point, dear." The gorgon in shades called out to them, looking smug. "I'd watch your step if I were you. One wrong move and they'll stick you in here with us. And trust me, not all of us are forgiving."

"Now, now, Vraska, we can make idle threats all day, but that's not going to change anything or stop us from being late to class." Baltrice stepped in, still grinning. "We've already been held up enough as it is by Mister Beleren's blind accusation that we're trespassing."

"I'm so-" Jace began to apologize before Liliana elbowed him in the gut.

"Oh, and before I go, I feel I really must stress that you're still more than welcome to join the Infinite Consortium." Baltrice added, looking to Jace as the others turned to leave, shooting ugly looks over their shoulders. "It will be the smartest decision you allow yourself to make, especially with what's to come."

"W-what's to come?" Jace couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough." She chuckled before eying Liliana. "Just consider my offer that the Infinite Consortium has a place for you. It's never too late to join our ranks... you know, for the greater good."

"Greater good?" Jace questioned, but the punkish girl only responded with a laugh and followed after her companions.

"Gods, I'd hoped we didn't run into those people..." Liliana muttered to herself, arms wrapped around her form.

"Who were 'those people'- I mean, besides Baltrice. I think I've gotten to know Baltrice a little more than I would like to..." Jace inquired.

"They're not the biggest fans of me, that's all... Various reasons..." Liliana sighed as she turned around to head in the opposite direction. "Teysa Karlov is the heiress to the Karlov conglomerate, and a lot of her time is used up assisting her family business, but she's a rabid rumor spreader. I really don't like talking about it, but I hand in finding out it was her behind the rumors... a little too late, I'm afraid. She was added to the night class when she bullied several girls into committing suicide.

"Vraska's the gorgon. She turned a student to stone the first year here, or so I'm told, and has been in the night class ever since. They originally intended to expel her, but a mythical creature causing the death of another student would have looked awful on paper. Keeping her here is just covering up the fact that a lot of the students we let into this school could actually pose a real threat- not just to the community, but to one another. There was a rumor going around she'd done it for the sole purpose of taking down the school.

"Garruk Wildspeaker... well, I'm the reason he's here. Rumor was going around he was tormenting a bunch of students and starting all kinds of commotion, but they really couldn't pin him as the real offender until I was put on the case and gathered evidence enough to accuse him. I'm pretty sure if he was even the smallest bit more uncivilized, he'd probably have tried to kill me. He's not the biggest fan of me, not by a long shot.

"...And then there's Ashiok. Ashiok is actually here for a legitimate reason, but Ashiok sort of got roped into their little posse and probably just had the disposition to agree with what they said."

"Yeah, about that one, is Ashiok a boy or a girl?" Jace couldn't help but ask.

"No one knows." Liliana lightly snorted. "It's best to just think of Ashiok as just... Ashiok. They're a unique magical entity, as far as Ravnica Academy is concerned. There isn't another person like Ashiok, at least on paper. A lot of people who know about Ashiok like to joke they just... came into being one day."

"Well, that's-" Before he could finish, a loud scream echoed from somewhere.

"Shit!" Liliana hissed, spinning around swiftly in the direction the cry had come from. "Was that...?"

"Chandra!" Jace gasped. All the two of them had to do was look at one another and briefly nod before they ran down the hall. If something had Chandra screaming like she'd seen a ghost, it probably couldn't be good.


	21. Moonlit Interlude

Emmara heaved a quiet sigh as she stood before the doors of the old building just barely on the outskirts of the campus. It's intended function had formally been a church, but as the years went by, Ravnica Academy had seen less and less students who practiced organized religion, to the point where the building was only used for holidays and left in total disrepair. It was now more often used for guild meetings than actual worship.

She considered not even going at all- possibly calling one of the members of her guild despite it being so late- to represent her. Several of them, in fact, had already offered, but each time she had politely turned them down. It had been insulting at first, but ever so slowly the option seemed much more viable. It wasn't unheard of for guild leaders to send out people to represent them- for instance, if they had to study for an exam (if they were students) or had to grade an exam (if they were faculty). Emmara had already come up with dozens of colorful lies for why she would have to sit the meeting out.

However, it was her own pride and maybe her overwhelming shame that finally motivated her to leave her apartment and head for the old church building. For years, even when she had been a student, Selesnya had been run by students- all of whom had all been related, apart of the same magical family that had been alumni there since the campus had been opened. And no matter the time or the place, Selesnya had always been represented by their guild leader. It would be- to put it lightly- embarrassing, as the first guild leader of Selesnya who was apart of the faculty, to burden the task of attending on someone else.

That, and she was certain other guild leaders would probably never let her live it down.

Speaking of, before she could even open the doors herself, they flung open before her, revealing Niv Mizzet standing before her, looking smug as per usual. Emmara tried her hardest to hold in a gasp, but couldn't help but jump as she rested her hand over her chest in surprise.

"Well, well, well, the straggler is finally here!" He laughed. "For someone who's apart of the medical practice, you sure like to keep people waiting."

"I-I was busy!" Emmara insisted, trying to sound as stern as possible. Maybe, as a guild leader, people had given her a little more respect, but Niv still acted all the same. And, being as charismatic as he was, if people saw him- even if he was a student- antagonizing a member of the faculty, more than likely one or two of them would join in. Emmara lowered her head, trying her damndest to try and keep eye contact with the dragon. Even in his human disguise, his eyes remained cold and reptilian.

"Ah, yes, I'm sure you were." Niv Mizzet rolled his eyes. "Busy holding us up."

"No. I-!" Emmara attempted to object, but Niv had already turned his back on her and was headed back inside. She squeezed her eyes shut and furrowed her brow in frustration before heading in herself, doors closing behind her somehow.

All the guilds, as she had feared, had all arrived before her- either represented by the leaders of the guild or members higher up within their ranks. Isperia of the Azorius Senate was probably the most intimidating figure in the room, going by size, at least. The Azorius guild leader had been known to take human shape, just as the dragons who attended the school did, but during guild meetings, the grand sphinx that also had the job of a counselor and was a member of the disciplinary committee at the school only found it necessary to change her size so that she could fit inside the building. Several of the pews had been moved and pushed up against the wall to accommodate her.

Not too far away from her sat Lazav of House Dimir, draped in shadow with the usual hood pulled over their head. Despite being a student at the academy's affiliated college, Lazav was one of the few students given the pardon to continue on as a guild leader after the former guild leader that replaced them passed away under what remained to be mysterious circumstances. There were talks that the seat as the Dimir guild leader was cursed and there were some who were even more brave (or foolish) to assume it had been a curse set upon the position by Lazav themselves. The shapeshifter, who was in their final year within the college, had already been scouted and asked to remain there as part of the faculty, so the rumors, as baseless as they were, had yet to be disproved.

Next was what was widely known to the school as the "Cult of Rakdos". The title came about after the events that occurred between the guild leader, Rakdos of the physical education department, and one of the night class students and how the guild members stood firmly by their leader and his decisions despite how seedy they had been. The aforementioned guild leader, however, had chosen not to make a public appearance, which was now the norm after what had transpired the year before. Maybe the demon felt even the slightest bit of shame, but whether or not that was the case, the guild was represented by Exava, a member of the night class who usually took up the mantle of representing her guild leader. Her gaze was chilling, but she was nowhere near the level of intimidation that Rakdos himself inspired, so for that Emmara remained silently grateful.

The guild of Gruul was represented by- not just one, but several people. They took up a small section of the pews in the far back, looking a rather motley lot. Among all the other guilds, usually there was some sort of unspoken uniform, or a theme the members usually followed to associate themselves in order to derive power from their standing as guild members. Gruul just looked like a bunch of angry punks and enraged environmentalists, and those days a lot of their activities mostly involved picketing building sites, destroying heavy machinery at said sites or nearly getting expelled for the later. Rumor even had it they'd given up on even having a leader or any sort of organized structure at all. It was all a sort of come-as-you-are affair with Gruul, although to make things official whenever they were gathered together among the other guilds they chose, at the very least, an influential member to represent them. In recent memory, at least, they'd chosen the cyclops, Borborygmos- one of the older students in the guild otherwise made up of younger ones- to act as their representative. In the former meetings that Emmara had been allowed to sit in on, Gruul was hardly ever taken seriously.

As usual, the actual members of Orzhov Syndicate were not in actual attendance. There was, however, a computer sitting in the lap of one of the students who had been chosen to sit in (there was always someone different, but they always dressed like they were about to make some kind of business venture) with a video chat program open and ready, probably restricted to "voice only". The guild leaders were assumed to be alumni who did work for the school overseas recruiting students and securing funds for the school. They were also said to handle all of the schools legal disputes, and a lot of the members of the guild went into law or into finances in hopes to one day join them. The guild leaders of Orshov normally chose to work in anonymity and shadow so, although there was an official list of those who represented the guild somewhere, they usually went by the blanket handle of "Obzedat".

Nearest the mob of what was meant to be Gruul sat the guild leader of the Golgari swarm- one Jarad vod Savo- who seemed to exude some sort of aura that kept everyone else positioned several seats away from him at all directions. Even Emmara, a fellow elf- albeit of a different class- felt uneasy enough to stay away. Jarad was a senior who planned on studying outside the academy's program upon graduation, and kept very much to himself, as did most of his guild. They'd originally been created as a special interest group who's activities were supposed to center around agriculture but those days Gruul just seemed to be made up of horror movie junkies and members of the event committee. A lot of their official functions behind closed doors those days were shrouded in mystery.

Aurelia, one of the few angels who attended the academy, and leader of the Boros Legion, sat nearest the front, wings she normally kept hidden unfurled and stretched to their full wingspan. It seemed she was in unspoken competition with several of the other guild leaders and representatives over who could have the largest presence in the room. She, like Emmara, had recently been made guild leader, although plans to instate her had begun the previous year and she had plenty of time to prepare after the previous guild leader, another angel who went by the name of Feather, was practically shamed from her position. Apparently Aurelia, who had been only a freshman at the time, had a hand in Feather's dismissal if not been the brains behind the whole operation. The year wasn't even half over, and already Aurelia was proving to be more than competent at her job in both organizing her guild and upstaging her former senior.

Lastly was the very-rarely-seen Zegana, the guild leader of the Simic Combine, the guild that centered their activities around biomancy and medicine. She, like Aurelia, was a newly-instated guild leader, although it had simply been that the former guild leader had graduated and chosen to attend a university elsewhere. She was hardly ever seen wandering around campus, mostly because leaving her home required a lot more work than necessary, being a merfolk. She usually studied from home and only ever actually showed up for larger events or important guild meetings like the one they were in now. And, the rare times she did make a public appearance, it was in a large, bulky contraption that probably had a very specific name but pretty much looked like a fish bowl on legs. She probably didn't ever go out in it much because of how ridiculous it looked. And, at least among the guilds that didn't make up the unspoken student council, Simic was probably the one guild that took itself the most seriously. An air of superiority combined with a ridiculous fish tank contraption didn't mix very well.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Niv Mizzet announced, walking in front of Emmara and showily drawing attention to the nurse's arrival. "Came all by herself, too, like a big girl." He spun around and patted her on the head. With how easily he towered over it, it was a simple thing for him to do.

"Like you didn't show up _just now_ , Niv..." Jarad grumbled. "You hardly arrived a few minutes before her, so I don't think you have much room to talk about punctuality."

"If you must know, I was busy with guild-centric business- all very top secret, very hush-hush. Stuff your puny little elf brain probably wouldn't be able to comprehend, so there's no real point in explaining things to you." Niv shot back in an acidic tone. "At least I wasn't biding my time right outside the door like a coward..." He looked over his shoulder to Emmara, who shrank back.

"Ppht, here he goes again, everyone. It's time for Niv Mizzet the great and powerful to tell us about how damn smart he is." Zegana rolled her eyes as she leaned over the edge of her bowl.

"The Firemind, Dracogenius!" Someone from the mob of Gruul shouted mockingly, followed by laughter from the rest of them.

"Mock my titles one more time and I promise you, I'll reduce this place and all of you to ash!" Niv snapped.

"Gods, could you all just please shut up!" Aurelia groaned loudly over the din of the Gruul members laughing and Niv Mizzet snarling back at them. "I'd like to actually get through one of these meetings without a throbbing headache, thank you!"

"It's really no use, dear. It's better we just let them exhaust themselves and run out of steam. Saves us all bit of trouble." Isperia sighed, not a bit of composure lost as he voice easily boomed over the noise.

"She's just all upset because it's passed her bed time." Exava mocked, sneering in Aurelia's direction. "It's about time for all good little children to go to bed."

"You want to run that by me again, blood- _bitch_!?" Aurelia snapped as she stood up, nearly taking out the student representing Orzhov with her wings as she spun to face Exava. "Don't you dare tell me Rakdos' latest little fling is trying to talk down to me!"

"Oh you did _not_ just call me what I think you just called me!" Exava also stood to her feet, looking like she was about to launch herself across the room at the young angel. "Because, if you did, I'm going to have to bash that pretty little face of yours in!"

Emmara stood in total awe as the argument between the guild leaders grew to almost impossible heights. The only ones who didn't feel the need to partake were Isperia and Lazav, who did nothing but watch in either annoyance or amusement. Before that night, there had been a sizable handful of times Emmara had been allowed to sit in on a guild meeting, and she had to admit there was usually a bit of animosity among the guilds, but never to the extent it had become- and it only continued to rise.

Emmara shuffled nervously from foot to foot, wanting very desperately to try and come between them all, but where to start? At least three separate disputes had broken out among the now-angry-mob. Even if she were a more confident person, she wouldn't be able to quell it. Isperia herself has laid down like she was making herself comfortable and Lazav was laughing. However, if nobody stepped in soon, punches would probably start to get thrown.

"H-Hey!" She tried to speak over the din. "Guys, please-!"

"Silence." A single word somehow managed to rise above the shouting, yelling and screaming and brought those choosing to simply ignore the fighting to attention. Whoever had spoken hadn't even raised their voice, only suppressed the uprising with their chilling, deadly-serious tone. Now the room had grown so silent, the sound of a single pin dropping on the ground could probably be heard. One by one, everyone slowly craned their heads to the pulpit at the front of the chapel, raised a few feet above the floor. Standing there, looking over the stand and peering out at all of them with a disappointed stare was Dean Sorin.

"S-sir!" Isperia suddenly spoke up, straightening up while also trying to locate from where the dean had managed to enter without being seen of heard. "I... I was just about to-"

"About to what? Take a cat nap?" Sorin asked cooly. "As the guild leader of Azorius as well as a member of the disciplinary committee I expected you to at least have some knowledge of crowd control. The same goes for you, Aurelia and... has anyone from Orzhov even decided to show up?"

"To be fair, sir, we just logged on." A voice explained coming from the computer in the lap of the silent and probably frightened Orzhov member. "And the speakers on what we're sure is a laptop aren't exactly the greatest..."

"Shut up." Sorin chillingly snapped before turning to the others who had begun to quietly speak among themselves. "All of you."

Dead silence overtook the room once more. Everyone stood at fearful attention, waiting apprehensively for what the dean had to say. Given his already soured attitude, there was no way the news he had to share was going to be positive. Then again, Dean Markov was never one to ever deliver jovial news...

"This is the very reason I have called you here tonight." He finally spoke up after casting his gaze across the room at each and every one of them. "When this school was founded, the guilds were formed to insure well-being at this school. Of course, there weren't always this many, but even still, there was a silent agreement when this school was still young that the guilds would be dedicated to helping the school and running themselves in a peaceful, organized manner. Now? Nothing but competition and a mad scramble for control. You can't even be left alone in a room together without a small-scale war breaking out among you. The old guilds of this school have grown complacent and at the same time power hungry and the newer guilds are forced to take drastic measures to find a place for themselves. The guild system has gone from a system of order to being one, giant power struggle within the school, bringing nothing with it but unrest."

"Sir, speaking on behalf of Boros, I must-" Aurelia began to speak up.

"Did I not ask for silence, Miss Aurelia?" Sorin asked in a tone that teetered on the edge of being frighteningly cold and overwhelmingly angry. The young angel inhaled sharply in surprise, lips pressed tightly together as she froze in attention, like a deer caught in headlights. Sorin sighed to himself, as if exhausted.

"I did not, in truth, intend to come here and lecture you. Having to scare you all into being quiet and orderly was not my intention, but you all left me no choice." He groaned. "How long has it been, would you say, since there was a meeting where even a few of you didn't argue among themselves?"

Silence answered back, but everyone- even Niv Mizzet- looked about in embarrassment and shame as they tried to remember themselves the last time there had been a peaceful guild meeting.

"I figured as much." Sorin shook his head. "Which is why I've called you all here today. It doesn't make me proud I must resort to such drastic measures, but with the peace I have been trying to maintain at this school in mind it's something that must be done."

"You aren't-!?" Emmara began before quickly shrinking back. Part of her had expected someone else to join her in asking, and instead she was left alone to speak- possibly out of turn. She put a hand apologetically to her lips, expecting to be scolded. However, instead the dean merely looked at her, silently giving her permission to go on (although given the look he gave her, had he actually spoken, he would have sounded exceptionally impatient). "You... You're not possibly suggesting you'll disband the guilds... are you?"

"Of course not, Miss Tandris. To do something like that would be counterproductive. A total removal of all the guilds would hurt more than it would help." A collective sigh of relief drifted through the chapel. But it was as if Sorin had simply waited for everyone to relax before he added. "Which is why I plan to dismiss all but one of you."

Sorin took a short step away from the pulpit, as if he expected an outburst- and an outburst there was. Almost immediately the volume climbed to levels that seemed to shake the very foundation of the building itself. Immediately, people began to speak out angrily against the dean's decision, while others began to plead their case as for why their guild should be the one left to rule.

"Azorius should be left instated! Without us, this school would lose all order!"

"Oh please, we of Boros do a lot more rule enforcing than you all on your high horses even consider accomplishing! There would be chaos without us!"

"Excuse me, but do you not consider that Orzhov has a more practical function that both of you? This school would not be what it is today without us!"

"The Izzet guild is still young! It seems incredibly unfair that we should not be considered for a chance to show what we could possibly provide for this school! Why not just do away with Gruul?! They're hardly even a guild anymore!"

"Shut up, you fire-breathing lizard! Gruul is one of the oldest guilds at this school! It actually makes more sense we get rid of the newer guilds first, since you haven't even proven your worth yet!"

"Ah, yes, and Gruul is so worth of consideration for... oh what is it you do again? Dimir deserves much more consideration than all of you useless rabble!"

"Oh wait, whose guild is it that people think doesn't exist? Was it... oh yes, I do believe it's Dimir! You don't even have presence enough at this school to even have proof you still exist! Simic, on the other hand-!"

"The timing of this announcement is incredibly unfair! Rakdos has just suffered a major loss after the scandal that happened last year! If this is to go by a vote, we'll already be at a disadvantage! We need time to reinstate our reputation so that we can prove ourselves to be a superior guild once more!"

"Oh please! After everyone found out your leader is a kiddy-fiddler, you should have been knocked off the roster to begin with! Golgari, at least, has a spotless reputation!"

"B-but... the Golgari hardly even follow what used to be their original function! If this is to be based off what guild has stuck closest to their roots, I can vouch that Selesnya hasn't strayed as far as all the others! W-We're working toward the betterment of the school, we... we always have been!"

"No one asked you, tree-hugger!"

"You have no room to talk, rape-apologist!"

"Oh, did you hear something? I could swear I heard someone talk, but I don't think I see anyone... maybe someone from that non-existent guild is speaking to us from beyond the grave!"

"Very funny from the bitch who has to travel around in a gigantic, walking fishbowl!"

"Are you all _quite done_?" Once again, Sorin simply speaking in an even, yet terribly chilly tone was somehow able to rise above the noise and chaos, bringing everyone to silence once more. The air around them seemed to ring as they looked to the dean with looks that ranged from anger to desperation to pleading.

"The decision is not to be made this very moment, so working yourselves up into a frenzy isn't going to help anything or anyone. _Understood_?"

"Y-Yes sir..." everyone responded in almost near-unison.

Just then, something descended elegantly from the rafters, sporting wings that would put Aurelia's to shame. Landing behind the dean, the grand, feathery wings vanished, leaving only the figure that had dropped in to join them and whatever light, soft wisps had had escaped the two main bodies that seemed to retreat back within the figures form.

"You're late, Avacyn. It's very unlike you." Sorin remarked as he looked back at his daughter, who adjusted her muffler and nodded stoically.

"My apologies, sir. My friends..." She explained simply. "Unfortunately I can't stay for as long as I hoped to oversee the meeting. My presence back at the school may soon be required."

"Your friends, is it?" Sorin asked, raising an eyebrow. To say the dean seemed shocked was an understatement.

"Correct. I was asked to help them patrol the school on this the night of spirits and demons." She told him. "Know that my intentions were to stand in procession for the entirety of the meeting. I'm guessing the phrase 'something came up' would be appropriate." A silence fell between the two of them while a confused whisper drifted through the crowd. The dean's daughter being a heavenly being seemed oddly... out of place.

"Well, I should be happy, as a father, you've finally formed bonds strong enough to call friends." Sorin sighed, shaking his head. "Could you, at the very least, address the mob. I at the very least managed to quiet them down."

"It would be my pleasure, father." Avacyn nodded before taking her father's place at the pulpit and standing firm and with purpose before everyone in attendance.

"Good evening..." She began. "As head of the main-events planning committee, I have been asked to introduce the event that will decide which among you has worth to remain as a guild here at this school that will take place near the foot-end of the school year. In short, it will be a race of sorts."

"A race? Isn't that a bit too simple?" Niv-Mizzet spoke up, a murmur of agreement following shortly after.

"I did say 'in short', didn't I?" Avacyn asked before waving her hand through the air. A phantasmal image of the school appeared, hanging in the air above her audience. "Being that it's an event with a starting and a finish line that is meant to be crossed it is, technically, a race. That, however, speaks nothing of the "track" you'll be running." With another motion, the image focused in on the main hall and the entrance to the maze that had, up until then, been hidden away from prying eyes.

"Beneath this school and throughout this city, there lies a maze that has existed below for thousands of years. There are suspicions of what this maze holds but, for the most part, the majority of this great labyrinth remains unexplored." A series of hallways branched out below the school, twisting and weaving and tangling like tree roots before the image dissipated completely. "This maze will be the grounds where the race between the lot of you will take place."

"You said suspicions..." Jarad interrupted. "What exactly do you suspect is down there?"

"Well, it is a maze that has existed below the surface since ancient times. There's a chance a lot of what remains is either dilapidated or destroyed. There is also, from what little observation we have been able to do, various tricks and traps that, if encountered by someone with any doubt in their abilities, would prove almost certainly fatal." Avacyn explained, sounding unmoved by the chance that someone running the maze would perish. A small uproar followed, hardly any of them being willing to go somewhere that posed a threat.

" _That is why..._ " Avacyn emphasized, bringing the small crowd to a hush. "...That is why you must select one among you- either someone from your guild, or a free agent willing to lend out their skills- who you have the utmost confidence in to represent your guild and run the maze for you. The only rule we have is that only students may run the maze. Other than that, the rest is up to you. This school is full of powerful mages and formidable creatures. If you wish to possibly have a chance, you must first have faith in your fellow student body."

"Alright, so we send people to run this maze- then what?" Zegana questioned. "What are we looking for, exactly?"

"You'll know the end of the maze when you reach it. There's an artifact there- an object that rightfully belongs to the school. Whoever retrieves this object will be the victor, and the guild they represent will be the one guild that remains within this school the following year. The rest of you will be able to continue whatever activities you practice, but your authority will be stripped from you, and your status as a guild removed. There's a chance for potential mergers, but that choice, in the end, is up to the victor, not us.

"You have until the final weeks of the school year to find your runner as well as give them whatever training you feel they'll need to traverse the maze. Anyone caught cheating or trying to sabotage another guild will be disqualified and their status as a guild revoked before the year is out.

"However..." Avacyn paused, seeming to look at each, individual guild with a scrutinizing gaze. "...whatever you do, at least to one another, within the maze during the event is something we won't be able to control. We trust, at least, you won't be driven to do anything you might regret later in life, but once your runners are in the maze, they'll be out of our jurisdiction and be free to manage themselves as they wish. I guess, given our present location, it would be appropriate to say 'they'll be in the hands of the gods'."

"When you say 'anything we might regret'... are you suggesting we'd send in runners to _murder_ one another?" Emmara asked in apprehension.

"There are some among you who might have less morality than others. They might see fit that devolving to their most simple of instincts and killing the competition is the right thing to do." Avacyn spoke, hardly seeming moved at the very mention that homicide might take place during the event. She approached the topic with the same amount of stoicism she did everything else. "Maybe, if you feel those sorts of things are a problem, you'll see fit to look into the mental state of your runners as well as the physical. But... looking at things objectively, there may be some students who see no problem with a little blood shed if it's for glory and status. Isn't that how things were carried out in older times?"

"I think we're a little more civilized than that!" The voice that emitted from the laptop practically spat. Whoever was speaking sounded highly offended.

"That's something that remains to be seen, 'Obzedat'. You may be surprised at what even the most civil among you will do when backed into a corner. I'm not expecting a blood bath, but at the very least, your legal team should prepare themselves for the worst, should anything happen within the maze that others outside our school may find... immoral." Avacyn said in a voice that seemed to send a chill through the room.

"... Are there any more questions?" She asked after allowing a shocked silence to drift through the chapel. This time, nobody spoke. "Well, then, if that's the case..." She stepped away from the pulpit, turning to Sorin.

"I'll take it you can handle the rest, father?" She asked him softly. "I really must be going. I fear I've left my friends to their own devices a bit too long."

"You did well, Avacyn. You're dismissed." Sorin nodded, and not even a second after he spoke, the silent angel left the way she had come, vanishing up into the darkness of the rafters of the church.

"Well, then..." Sorin chuckled to himself as he reproached the stand to look out at the guild representatives that had been stunned into silence. They all looked like they were having a bit of trouble dealing what what they had heard- at least the majority of them, at least. "That leaves me with one last piece of business before I close this meeting."

"What else could you possibly need to share?" Borborygmos spoke up, sounding almost winded.

"To put it simply, another opponent. Another guild you'll be pitted against..." Much to everyone's surprise, the dean seemed to lose a bit of composure to looking bothered, like the announcement pained him. "The eleventh guild to be instated at this school: The Infinite Consortium."

"My! What a lovely introduction, mister Markov!" A mature, womanly voice seemed to echo from all around. A few in the crowd craned their heads, trying to find who had spoken before the speaker stepped out from the shadows behind Sorin: A woman looking in her prime. She dressed nothing short of elegantly for the simple meeting: a strapless, black formal dress with a slit up the side that reached all the way up past her thigh. On the surface, at least, she was a beauty- flawless skin, long, silky, black hair that flowed over her shoulder almost like liquid- but there was something unsettling about her. Maybe it was the way she smiled, like she was looking at fat livestock about to be sent to the slaughter, or her eyes that held not even an ounce of warmth. Beneath her beautiful complexion, something sharp and dangerous was lurking. Black magics seemed to ooze from her, like they were overflowing and had nowhere else to go. "I couldn't ask for better."

She was soon joined by Sarkhan Vol, who stood beside her like some sort of personal attendant. But there was something in his eyes; pride, like he'd already won.

"Who... are you?" Aurelia began, her voice wavering. She had encountered a small handful of demons and fiends in her lifetime, but none such as the woman who stood before her. The malice that clung to her was enough to fill the young angel with a legitimate sense of fear.

"Hmm? Oh, well, I guess I do need an introduction. Not many of you may know who I am..." The woman chuckled, casting her gaze out specifically toward Niv-Mizzet, who shuddered when the realization finally hit him. He'd felt this overwhelming presence before- one that made it hard to move, breath or even think. One that inspired terror even in the deepest parts of his psyche.

"...Right..." Sorin muttered, seeming more annoyed than afraid. "This is Nicol Bolas, elderdragon as well as a large benefactor of the school. _He_ is also the unofficial guild leader of The Infinite Consortium. In all other accounts, the title of guild leader belongs to Sarkhan Vol, but only because Nicol Bolas is neither student or faculty."

"Oh, but who was is that gave the majority of the funds to found this little school of yours, Mister Markov? Without my help, none of you would even be here having your cute little club meeting." Nicol Bolas chuckled. "And that's really quite rude of you, insisting I'm simply male. I'm whatever I wish to be, though I feel this form in particular really inspires fear. You lesser beings never expect a beautiful woman to have the kind of power I wield." Nicol Bolas approached Sorin, leaning in close enough that he could feel the dragon's hot breath on his cold skin. "I'm not simply gobbling you up or boring into that puny mind of yours because I enjoy a little sport. It makes things... interesting. And I have waited a _very long time_ for interesting."

"I'll have to ask you to please step back, Bolas..." Sorin's voice was even and chilling, not once breaking eye contact with the fearsome creature standing before him. "I will not have you disrespecting me in front of my students."

"Hmm, another time, then?" The dragon laughed as he pulled away before turning to the rest in attendance as he began to walk away from the pulpit and down onto the floor. "I hope you'll all provide me with sufficient entertainment. I've been waiting a very long time for this moment, so I have very high hopes for this competition..." As he walked back toward the door, followed close behind by Sarkhan, everyone took a step or two away, even if they weren't anywhere near him.

The only person who didn't feel it necessary to move far away from the fearsome creature among them was Niv-Mizzet, who looked back at the disguised beast in disbelief. They met eyes, and Nicol Bolas smiled a smile that was both alluring and terrifying. As he passed, he reached out and caressed beneath Niv's chin with the tips of his fingers. Even with the simplest touch, his fingers seemed to leave behind a burning sensation.

"...So don't disappoint me. If it's one thing I hate, it's being disappointed."


	22. Unwelcome Memory

_Chandra Nalaar sat motionless, shaking hands hovering just barely over the body of her fallen comrade. It seemed almost unreal that, moments ago, he'd been alive. It had all happened so fast, she couldn't accept it, even though she'd watched as he collapsed, going from charging valiantly to flopping down onto the ground like a puppet cut loose from it's strings in a matter of seconds. It hadn't just been him, but the dozens of soldiers they'd taken with them to engage the enemy. Every single one of the small army of people lay dead around her, and she'd been, for some reason, spared so that she could witness as the people who had entrusted her with their lives lost them in a blink of an eye. If that wasn't enough to break her, than watching Gideon Jura, the man she sat hunched over, die was just enough to send her over the edge._

" _Gideon..." She muttered, her lips quivering as she lightly shook him. She spoke with a surprisingly even tone, like she was trying to rouse her partner from a nap."Gideon... Gideon, get up." She shook him again, a little more roughly this time. "Gideon, come on! We... we need to get out of here. We need to regroup... we..."_

_Chandra paused, biting her lip as she gripped at Gideon's clothes. She refused to believe it. There was no way! They'd been through so much and lived through so much, and now..._

" _Wake up! Gods dammit, Gideon, wake up! You have to wake up, you can't be dead!" She shouted, a mixture of anger and sadness in her voice. Violently, she shook his limp form until he rolled all the way over, his now empty eyes looking skyward, but not at her. He looked horrified, like he realized he was going to die before he fell- like he could feel the perpetrator purposefully enter his mind before it was shattered to pieces, and he knew there was nothing he could do. Streams of crimson left vibrant streams down his face from his eyes and nose. Whatever had happened inside of Gideon's mind, it hadn't been a precise, pinpointed attack. It had been violent, merciless and wrathful._

" _You promised me... you had something to tell me once this was all over..." She mumbled, vision blurring as tears finally began to spring from her eyes and splash against Gideon's face. "You can't leave now... you... You always keep your promises!"_

" _If he had something so important to tell you, he should have told you before you came here." An unfeeling voice suddenly spoke, sending chills down Chandra's spine and causing her hair to stand on end. A shadow fell over her and Gideon's lifeless body; the form wrapped in a tattered cloak whipping about in the wind. "It would be foolish to assume this was anything other than a suicide mission."_

" _SHUT UP!" Chandra screamed, both in blind, overwhelming fury as well as crippling horror, as she dug as deep within herself as she could and summoned up a flame that felt like it was searing even_ her _skin. But as soon as the scorching flames met the air they vanished- sucked into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but smoke. And gazing at her with eyes glowing a brilliant blue was the man her and Gideon had been sent to kill- the man who had made easy work of her comrades in arms and her dear friend that now lay before her: Jace Beleren._

" _If it means so much to you, I can tell you exactly what he wanted you to know. I can tell you anything you're curious about." He offered, but his mocking tone and the snide look on his face hardly looked charitable as his offer was. "I can even tell you the last thing he thought of before I ripped his mind apart."_

" _Bastard..." Chandra growled, flames angrily licking up her arms and body as her lips parted in an angry snarl. But it was strange- surreal even- that the person standing before her really was Jace Beleren. Their paths had crossed a good number of times since they had first met, and she had answered his call when he asked for their aid on Ravnica. The Jace she knew, or at least the one who she had come across from time to time, was a smart ass, if anything, but hardly spiteful. There was always an air around him that he wasn't 100% sure exactly what he was doing, like he sleep-walked through life- but also just so happened to have morals enough to chose to do what he thought was right or just, given the situation. This man looked like Jace, dressed like Jace and had the same abilities, but at the same time, the person standing before her was the farthest thing from the Jace Beleren she knew._

_Without so much as a warning, the man who had brought them all to that plane to fight against the fiend, Nicol Bolas, turned against all of them- not just his comrades, but those they fought against as well. He had reached into their minds and taken something precious and important, trapping every planeswalker he'd called to the plane there with him as he took out friendly and opposing forces alike. People had even reported entire, large-scale armies all reduced to lifeless shells in a matter of minutes. No one could touch Jace Beleren. Everyone who opposed him had their minds torn asunder- all except for Chandra who, by some miracle, had faced the mind mage and lived- or rather, had been spared._

" _Why...?" Chandra finally asked, her voice quivering with anger. "Why are you doing this!? We came here to help you, and now you've turned against us! Is that why you lured us here!?"_

" _Of course not." Jace chuckled. "Had I called you here with such nefarious intentions, at least one of you would have noticed and you all would have scattered like a bunch of frightened animals. I simply... had a change of heart."_

" _Did Bolas have anything to do with this?" She snarled back._

" _Oh, goodness, no. But at the same time, I guess he's at fault- just like all of you are. Even you... and even I." He explained in an almost cryptic fashion._

" _Then why spare me!?" Chandra asked through clenched teeth. "If it's so that I suffer, you've done your job!"_

" _It's because you now feel as I have felt. You, too, know how it feels to lose someone dear to you. You and I- we're the same now." He spoke with a sneer. "Does it hurt- knowing you couldn't save him?"_

_Chandra looked down at Gideon's corpse, biting her lip and not saying a word._

" _It hurts, doesn't it?"_

" _Shut up..." Chandra muttered, thoughts flooded with memories of Gideon when he'd been alive- when they fought and traveled together. He was gone now- stolen away from her right before her eyes, after everything she'd done to keep him there with her. And here she was, relying on him one last time- even if it was only the memory of him. She recalled the moments they spent together, fought together, brought closer together by turmoil, bonding through ash and fire and danger- even in death, Gideon Jura would be there to help her one last time, even as a memory, as a ghost._

" _We can make this dying world suffer as we have. Maybe in time we can even make Bolas suffer for his crimes- him and everyone else."_

" _I said... SHUT UP!"_

_It had been a flimsy plan at best- Chandra had no idea just how deep Jace could delve into her mind or how deep he'd already gotten. However, even though it pained her to do so, she filled her thoughts with Gideon, every single little memory and thought and detail. In her desperation, she hoped that would be all Jace would see and continue on talking- offering her something she'd never in a million years agree to. She'd distract him with her sadness and her grief over the loss of her closest companion while she reached for the sword Gideon had on his person._

_With an angry bellow she lunged at him, grateful, at least, that he'd found it necessary to lurk over her so closely. Sword clutched tightly in her hands she charged, and thrust the blade angrily forward. This was for Gideon, for all of her comrades and for the plane that crumbled and burned around them. The plane she and everyone else had tried and failed to save. The one Gideon had tried and failed to save._

_Those thoughts- heroic, determined and desperate- were the last that passed through Chandra's mind. In an instant, Chandra Nalaar was reduced to nothing but an inanimate object, though the look of fury on her face remained as momentum kept her body moving forward._

_Chandra's furious flames had flown at Jace faster than Chandra had. He knew it himself that he could easily destroy her mind as well as step out of the way of her attack. But something stopped him- glued him to where he stood as he watched as her blade draw near. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, though memories of the people he had left in his furious wake invaded his mind. Lavinia, who had tried so desperately to reason with him. Ral, who had tried to outwit him. Emmara, who had tried to console him. Liliana, who gave her life to save his own._

_Ah, yes, this was regret, wasn't it?_

_Pain bloomed in Jace's chest for an instant, as his final breath he drew in became a shocked, pained gasp. The blade pierced through his chest, slicing easily through skin and muscle, puncturing vitals in it's wake and exiting out through his back. The bloody tip of the blade tented his cloak and dyed the blue fabric a deep, filthy crimson._

Not like this...

_Jace sank to his knees, his body growing cold and senses growing distant._

It can't end like this...

_He looked down at Chandra's limp body, hands still somehow, amazingly, clutched around the hilt of her sword. Her eyes were lifeless and empty, but the look of disgust and rage remained on her features._

I have no right to ask... But...

I need one more chance to make everything right...

* * *

Gideon bolted upright, clutching at his chest and gasping as he was torn forcefully from sleep. A cold, panicked sweat dripped down his forehead and his heart beat furiously, pounding so hard and loud he could hear it in his ears... or was that the door?

Someone was knocking- no, banging on the door.

"Who in the hell...?" Jace muttered as he, too, got up- a lot slower and much more groggy than Gideon who was still trying to calm down and assure himself that everything he had seen had just been a dream. He touched his arms, his face, his neck, his chest- assuring everything was there and that everything was real. He, at least, was glad the room was pitch black, or else Jace would have seen the panic in his eyes as he slowly shuffled out of bed and made his way towards the door.

"Whoever it is, I really hope you know what time it is!" Jace shouted as he opened the door shortly before he was clocked in the face by the very fist that had been pounding on the door.

"OW! W-What the shit!?"

"Jeeze! Sorry! Warn me before you open the door! I was seconds away from just kicking it in!" Gideon recognized the voice immediately, and he could see her reflection in the window opposite the door. Chandra, clad in her pajamas, her hair a wild mess, was standing in their doorway, looking just as anxious as he felt.

"Would it be appropriate to ask _why_!?" Jace groaned, holding his face in agony. "I don't think you noticed or not, but it's a little too early to try and kick down anyone's door."

"Get out."

"E-Excuse me?"

"I said get out!" Without any sort of context, Chandra grabbed the collar of Jace's T-shirt and began to pull him outside. He struggled, obviously, demanding answers that Chandra refused to give. She only kept on insisting he leave and stretching out the collar of Jace's shirt, slowly removing it in her attempt to pull him out of the room.

"Chandra, I swear to god, if this is some four-in-the-morning booty call, I really think it can wait! Like maybe when the sun is up or something!" Jace snapped. Chandra reacted to his words swiftly and angrily, removing one of her hands from his shirt to reach up and clutch his ear between her fingers, still pulling.

"If you don't leave, I'm going to fry your balls and serve them to Liliana with a fine garnish, you ass!" She snarled as Jace groaned in pain, ever so slowly obeying and tip-toeing carefully out of the room, fearful she'd rip his ear right off of his head.

"Fine, fine, I'm going! Just let go, you're actually _really_ starting to hurt me!" He finally cried shortly before Chandra let go of his ear and slung him out of the doorway, leaving him to stumble backward into the wall opposite the door.

"The money in my wallet isn't yours to take!" He shouted, to which Chandra grunted furiously in response, glaring at him through what Jace quickly realized were bloodshot eyes before she slammed the door, vanishing into his dorm room. "I made sure to count it! I'll know if you took anything!"

Muttering to himself, Jace slowly righted himself, noticing a few doors had been opened and several pairs of curious and annoyed eyes were gazing back at him. Whispers wondering what was going on reached him, wondering if Jace or Chandra knew what time it was. A few people even called out from their rooms, banging on walls and shouting that people were trying to sleep. It wasn't like Jace wasn't aware of the time or that normal people were in bed- he'd been pleasantly sleeping mere moments before he'd been thrown out of his room.

"What are you looking at?" He groaned to all the curious spectators who quickly closed their doors once they realized Jace had spotted them. Jace sighed in exhaustion, not exactly sure of what to do. No way he was going to walk all the way to Liliana's apartment in a T-shirt and boxers- not while it was as cold and as early as it was. He didn't want to freeze on top of being refused sleep, and he'd _rather_ freeze than bother Liliana at such an hour. Maybe he could wander downstairs and wait for the dorm cafeteria to open up for the morning.

"Well, look who's up! All bright eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to greet the morning, I see." A voice from nearby chuckled. Annoyance overpowered exhaustion almost instantly as Jace turned to the side, coming to find Ral Zarek looking back at him with a hugely amused grin, like he was fighting back laughter. He was dressed in the usual attire he wore at school, not looking a bit tired despite the hour. "What has our school's resident mind-mage up so early?"

"Oh, I just felt like taking a little brisk morning jog in my underwear." Jace answered, suffocatingly sarcastic. "I got kicked out of my damn room, and right now, Ral, I'm really in no mood for... Why are _you_ here, anyway!?" It seemed all sorts of troublesome people were coming out of the woodwork at the same ungodly hour of the morning. And they were all happening to converge at the same point: him.

"Well, as they say, the early bird catches the worm. Though I'm particularly glad that fiery little pyromancer got you out of bed for me. Saves me quite a bit of trouble and time." Ral chuckled.

"Okay... and what, might I ask, is the 'worm' in this situation?"

"Oh, it's you, Beleren. And it's not just me- I'm sure you'll be getting a visit from all those other pathetic guilds. Niv-Mizzet simply figured it would be best to get a jump on things now, before anyone else makes you a proposition." Ral explained, smoothing back his hair.

"A proposition of _what_?"

"To represent a guild in... a certain upcoming event. Should you chose to represent Izzet, I promise you'll be richly rewarded."

* * *

"Chandra, what are you doing!?" Gideon asked as the angry redhead stomped into the room. He couldn't see her face in the darkness, but he could see her silhouette as she made her way over to his bed, a noise that seemed to be somewhere between her heaving a sigh and muffling a scream escaping her. She was furious, or at least Gideon could only imagine.

"I'm not here for a super early booty call..." She muttered, sounding surprisingly forced, like she was putting power into every single word through clenched teeth.

"Try not to take the things Jace says seriously- especially when it's this early. I'm sure whatever he said, he didn't actually mean..." Gideon sighed, trying to calm himself down. It wouldn't help Chandra's anger if he tried to talk her down while in a nightmare-induced panic. "...But seriously, though, why are you here? I mean, I'm not going to be mad if you actually are here for a booty c-"

A choked noise escaped Chandra, cutting him off. It was a sound rarely made by her, Gideon figured at first that maybe he'd heard things. But then it came again- quiet, soft, and sad. Hiding her face in her hands, Chandra began to sob.

"Shit, I'm sorry! I was just joking!"

"It's not... about that you... gigantic asshole!" Chandra cried, wiping at her face furiously with her hands. "Read the room before you... make damn jokes like that... _gods_!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Gideon sighed as he rolled out of bed so that he was sitting on the very edge of the mattress. Carefully he reached out, placing one of his hands on top of Chandra's, who was still hiding her face behind them. A tiny, sad squeak escaped her as she placed her second hand on top of his own, lacing her fingers between his as she nuzzled into his hand. "What happened? You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No... of course not!" Chandra hiccuped, shaking her head. Ever-so-slowly, Gideon pulled her closer, and she reluctantly obeyed, step after tiny step until she was close enough for him to embrace her. "I just... gods, you're going to think I'm pathetic."

"Try me."

"I... had a really horrible dream..."

"A dream?" A cold shiver ran up Gideon's spine as he gently pushed the crying girl away to arm's length. Chandra looked up, noticing the shift in his demeanor. "What... kind of dream... exactly?"

"It was... well, about us... or... _them_." Chandra sobbed, her shoulders shaking in time with each, tiny spasm. "The _old_ Chandra and Gideon."

Gideon brought Chandra back in close, holding her shivering body tightly. The night before, while they should have been patrolling the school building, they'd come across- or rather, Chandra forced her nose into- an entrance to what Avacyn explained to be an old maze below the school. Along with that, they had seen what could only be described as visions- ghosts that had waited maybe even specifically for them- to warn them or to tell them something. It had opened quite a big can of worms, since they recognized the apparitions that met them in the old corridor of the maze. Gideon had seen Chandra, and Chandra had sworn she had seen Jace.

Avacyn had said a lot of things in order to try and explain the phenomenon, but a lot of it went over both Gideon's and Chandra's heads, mostly due to the fact both of them were still in a panic at the time. According to her, at least from what Gideon could remember, all of them were reincarnations of people who had existed and fought in a war to save their world and that a curse had trapped their souls in their plane. There had been something about some of them having the ability to visit other worlds at some point (which struck Gideon as being familiar if not exactly what Chandra's brother had been researching), a dragon, the dean being somehow caught up in it- there was a tangled web of schemes that Avacyn had tried to explain after that, but from what it sounded like, it didn't really concern Gideon or Chandra all that much. Or rather, they wouldn't really be of much help in the grand scheme of things. They just so happened to be reborn into what sounded like the endgame of a very long, long story.

"I... I saw you die... and then... then _I died_... and then _Jace_..." Chandra continued, growing more and more upset with each detail she added to the mix. It sounded to Gideon like the two of them had witnessed the same thing.

"It's okay... Those things are in the past." Gideon spoke softly, trying to console her. "They're just memories now, they can't actually hurt you."

"But... it seemed so real... so... it felt like I was there!"

"Well, technically, you were..."

"Uuuuurgh..."

"Sorry, sorry! Ignore me..." Gideon sighed, rubbing her back. "It's okay... I'm here."

"I just want to go back to the way things were..." Chandra muttered, resting her head on Gideon's Shoulder. "Everything and everyone seems so different now! I've been anxious since last night, I hardly even slept! If those kinds of things are going to greet me when I do... I..."

"I'll be right here." Gideon cut her off softly, pushing her away far enough so that he could get a good look at her face. Up close he could see it now, even in the dark- hair hanging in her face messily, eyes filled with tears and quivering lips. Carefully with a feathery-light touch, he brushed the hair from her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. "If you have another nightmare I'll be here. I know it's terrifying... I had the same exact dream, I know how you feel... but you aren't alone in this. I'll always, always be here for you."

"Gideon..." Chandra practically whispered as he ran his fingers slowly over her lips. Maybe the timing was inappropriate, but as he leaned in, she reciprocated, leaning forward in kind until their lips met. With shaking hands, she reached out, wrapping her arms around his form while his hands drifted down to her hips while the kiss deepened. Hearing Chandra moan softly against his lips, Gideon wondered if he'd be able to stop himself from letting things escalate.

"Nnm.." Chandra mumbled before pulling away and brushing her knuckle against her lips. There were still tears in her eyes, but at the very least she was smiling a little. "You really should shave, your stubble tickles!"

"Oh, sorry..." Gideon chuckled, holding back a relieved sigh. It was a little too early and Chandra was still too innocent for them to do anything more than embrace and kiss- or, at least, that's what Gideon thought.

"Hey... do you think I could... stay here until morning. I really don't want to go all the way back to my dorm room alone." Chandra asked, looking down at the ground shyly. "T-that and the trip over from the girl's dorm to the boy's was so super cold I thought I was going to die!"

"Sure. After all that, I'd feel bad for sending you away." Gideon chuckled, starting to move back onto his bed and make appropriate space for another person before Chandra grinned victoriously and turned around, walked over to and hoped onto Jace's bed.

"I claim this bed then!"

"But... Jace is..." Gideon looked in the direction of the door. There was a chance Jace was still waiting patiently to be let in.

"Let that idiot get the rest of his sleep in the hallway." Chandra grumbled as she buried herself under the sheets. "He deserves that much for his dumb booty-call comment."

* * *

"Uurg..." Jace groaned, his face down on the table. He sat at what had become the usual table in the lunch room, waiting with Gideon for the rest of their party to join them. He had just sat down and immediately collapsed face down and arms dangling over the surface as well, nearly knocking over Gideon's soda.

"Gods, was sleeping in the hallway that bad?" Gideon asked, setting his things that Jace's hands almost knocked over back onto the table. "I'm sorry for not trying to convince Chandra to let you in, but she fell asleep super fast, and sleeps like a rock."

"No, no, it's not that." Jace sighed. Although having to give up his bed to an unwelcome guest hadn't exactly been a day maker, it was the least of his problems. Starting with Ral, person after person representing the guilds had approached him, sitting him down for minutes (and, in the case of Lavinia, a good, solid hour which was impressive as it was exhausting) at a time to convince him to run for them in an upcoming event Sorin had recently announced to the entire student body. Already there were posters advertising the whole thing, and the whole school was stirred into an uproar about it:

The running of the maze.

So this was Sorin's plan? To disguise something in which the entire world and all others like it hung in the balance as a big, important school event? It seemed incredibly dicey, but that was the least of Jaces complaints, at least. Every single guild wanted Jace to represent them in the event and run through the- apparently- super dangerous maze in their honor. Not just one of them, oh no. Every. Single. One. Gruul was especially persistent, but it seemed that none of them actually knew someone had come before them to talk to him about the very same thing

"I've just been asked by every possible person this morning to participate in that big maze-running thing..." He explained, raising his head so that his friend could hear him.

"And? Why don't you? I mean... If I remember right, aren't you kind of in the thick of that, anyway?" Gideon asked. "The way Avacyn made it sound, it seemed like there's a thing in there only you can fix. So why not run the maze for someone?"

"It's a little less simple than that." Jace sighed. "I mean, yeah, I'm supposed to released whatever is sealed inside that maze- even though I haven't the slightest clue how- but the way it sounds, whoever finds... whatever is at the end of the maze... they're supposed to return it to Sorin, who in turn could just hand it over to me. Me actually running that maze doesn't even sound necessary at this point." Jace paused to sit up. "That and... whatever guild wins, they'll be the only guild to rule this school. Don't take this the wrong way, as a guild member and all, but I don't like the idea of any of the guilds having total power."

"Then I take it you won't really take kindly to me asking you to run the maze for Boros?"

" _Gideon_..."

"What? As a close friend of yours, my superiors asked me to try and convince you... buuuut-"

"Yeah, please save us both the trouble. If anyone asks, you did your best."

"Wow, look at you. Looks like someone got their beauty rest." Gideon and Jace looked up to find Liliana and Avacyn finally approaching the table, and Liliana looking like she was holding back laughter. "The bed-head brings the whole look together."

"Actually I think it would be more appropriate to call it 'hallway-head'. Bed-head implies I actually slept in a bed this morning." Jace groaned as he tried to fix his hair. No one had bothered to tell him until now that his hair was a mess.

"What were you doing out in the hall?" Liliana laughed as she took the seat next to him. "I mean, I know you're pretty weird, but that's..."

"Ugh, Chandra came over at some ungodly hour of the morning and kicked me out of the room." He explained. "I wasn't let back inside until half-an-hour before school started."

"Oh my..." Liliana smirked, looking over to Gideon. "What were _you two_ up to?"

"Wh- oh my gods, we just talked! We didn't even sleep in the same bed, so stop right there!" Gideon insisted.

"That's an awful lot of denial there." Liliana continued to tease. "Come on, you can tell us. Your dirty little secrets are safe with us, right Avy?" She looked over to Avacyn who had sat down as well and was silently sipping her milk and added nothing to the conversation but silence- as usual. "See? Nothing to worry about! Now, _spill_!"

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to spill!"

"Riiiight. Nothing to spill but hot, sticky-"

"Hey, speaking of Chandra..." Jace interrupted, possibly on purpose. The two arguing looked back at him- Gideon in thanks and Liliana like he'd just ruined her fun. Jace cleared his throat uneasily and continued. "...Where exactly is she?"

"Hmm?" Gideon looked around, not catching a single glimpse of the red-head. "Wasn't she with you guys?"

"After she got her lunch, she told us to go on ahead." Avacyn explained. "She said she had something she had to do."

"Something to do- my ass. She's probably off taking something that doesn't belong to her for one of her personal projects." Liliana snorted. "I mean, I can't imagine what it is, but I also can't imagine where else she would go. She seemed fine, so I doubt she went to the nurses. But maybe her long, early-morning romp with Gideon took a lot out of her?"

"Oh my gods, could you please not..." Gideon grumbled, thinking back to the state Chandra had been in that morning. Knowing Chandra, she was probably still upset, and didn't want anyone seeing her that way. Knowing Chandra...

"...She's probably on the roof."

"What?"

"She had... a rough morning-" He paused to glare at Liliana, who looked like she was about to say something with a grin on her lips. "I mean, she _wasn't in a good mood_ this morning."

"Sure, sure, whatever..."

"Anyway, Chandra usually escapes onto the roof when she's had a bad day and wants to be alone."

"That's so like her. Going off somewhere that's off limits so she can go pout." Liliana chortled. "Well, one of us is going to have to talk her down before someone catches her. I mean, she might not get into a lot of trouble, but she'll get a talking to..."

"I guess I'll go get her." Gideon sighed before someone reached out and rested their hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down gently into his seat. He looked up to find Avacyn looming above him, seeming oddly determined for someone who probably wasn't 100% sure what emotions even were. "...What?"

"Please, allow me." Avacyn finally spoke. "I think I have a good enough grasp on the situation."

"B-but-!"

"Trust me, I've done this before." She assured him. "This isn't the first time I've had to console Chandra Nalaar."


	23. The Calm Before

"Why is this bothering me so much?" Chandra looked skyward, leaning against the chain-link fence that surrounded the rooftop next to her untouched lunch. The weather had warmed up a considerable amount from that morning, which was fortunate, since this was the only place she could think of to escape to. Keeping up her facade of acting like she always did when she felt lost and, above all, confused was starting to become exhausting. "Everyone else took to this news so easily. Jace, Liliana and Gideon... They all accepted this madness so... seamlessly."

Groaning in frustration she clutched at her soda- the only thing out of her lunch she'd been able to stomach- and knocked it back like drinking it could wash away her sorrows. On top of everything she was furious at herself for letting news of her past life get to her as much as it had. She had been, at one point in time, a brave warrior- one who traveled through worlds and fought and died for the people she cared about. Maybe it was the realization she probably would never live up to what the former Chandra Nalaar was. Maybe it was the fact that, just below the surface, there was a plot brewing that made her terrified. Would the former her have felt the same way, or would she stand and fight?

It was almost pathetic she was comparing herself to- well- herself and feeling all sorts of pathetic about it.

"Ah, good, you're here." A voice interrupted Chandra's thoughts, and she quickly picked herself up from the slump she'd folded into to find Avacyn of all people approaching her, a large sketchpad tucked under her arm.

"Avacyn, could you not..." Chandra sighed, shuffling uncomfortably. "I'm really not in the mood to talk about..."

"Then you mistake my reason for being here, then." Avacyn spoke in her usual flat tone, taking the pad of paper and holding it in front of her. "I simply recently realized I have a portrait assignment due next period in art, and Miss Oba keeps on telling me I have to start submitting things other than self-portraits."

"Then go draw somebody else." Chandra muttered, looking away from Avacyn and her giant pad of paper and looking out over the campus. "I kind of want to be..." Looking back in her direction, Chandra gawked as Avacyn sat herself down and flipped to a blank page in her drawing pad, making herself good and comfortable. _"...Alone!_ Are you listening to me!? _"_

"Everyone's worried about you, and I think right now it's best you seek company rather than isolation." Avacyn explained, fishing through her bag for a pencil.

"So you _aren't_ here to just draw me for some assignment!" Chandra snapped.

"I'm here to do both- now you can move around a little, but try not to shift around too much. It makes drawing you a little harder." Avacyn stated in a matter-of-fact tone. Chandra shifted, considering just getting up and leaving, but the quiet angel had already begun to busily draw. So, instead, she sighed in frustration through her nose and looked away, allowing silence to fall between the two of them. It wasn't long, though, until curiosity began to set in as Chandra cast side glances over to Avacyn who was obviously unaffected by the quiet.

"...Hey."

"Mmn?"

"How old are you, exactly? I mean, you're obviously in high school, but you act like you're a lot-" Chandra began.

"My father created me shortly after the death of the Living Guildpact. So you're correct in thinking I might be a lot older than I appear to be." Avacyn answered before she got a chance to finish.

" _Created_? Like, what, he just summoned you into being?" Chandra chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Or is that just your personal way of talking about being born?"

"I never had a mother, so I was never truly 'born'. My father created me- brought me into being to be the guardian angel of this plane- although this place has evolved long passed needing my help, so now I'm simply my father's companion and messenger." Avacyn explained. "Though I've always had a feeling he created me out of desperation because he couldn't return home, and needed something that reminded him of his home plane- to keep himself sane."

"What, do you look like someone from where he's from?" Chandra questioned, a slight smirk on her face. "Like his lover or something?"

"My appearance is identical to that of Avacyn, the guardian angel of my father's home plane, Innistrad. Everything I am, she originally was and maybe even still is. I am nothing but a replica- a mirror image of my father's greatest creation. Why would he create me in her likeness if he didn't secretly long to return home?" Avacyn paused, her constant pencil strokes coming to a sudden halt. "And, when all of this is over, he'll most likely return back to Innistrad and back to the real Avacyn, and my role as his guardian and messenger will end."

"Can't you go with him!?" Chandra asked, starting to turn around before remembering Avacyn's original request and trying to relocate the position she'd originally been in. "I mean... you've been together all these years, would he really just... He won't even take you with him?"

"I cannot leave this plane. The original Avacyn never had a spark- or was never given one- because she was created to protect Innistrad and remain there to be their constant beacon of hope. Maybe it wouldn't sound so sad if that were my role here. But, the way things have turned out, these days the people of this plane no longer look to something as tied to the old world as a 'guardian angel'. They've reached a level of self-sufficiency where I probably won't be needed. The people of Ravnica have developed the ability to look after and protect themselves. But, even so, as the original Avacyn is, I also am, and thus I'm bound to this plane, my original function be damned." Avacyn looked down at her drawing, growing quiet and looking complacent for a short moment before finally going back to drawing.

"This wasn't something he did out of spite. I have no reason to be upset about my state of affairs." What little emotion that had built up in her voice all-together vanished, returning to the all familiar monotone. "My place is here. I am Avacyn, guardian angel of Ravnica. I am to be this worlds hope- it's beacon. That, at least, is what my father has always told me."

"...Will you miss him when... er, if he leaves?" Chandra asked carefully. And, at first, Avacyn only responded with the usual silence, busily drawing away.

"My feelings on the matter are irrelevant. It's only logical that my father will leave once he regains the ability." She spoke up. "Ravnica has been a prison to him more than it has a home, and I'm sure he's anxious about what has become of Innistrad if Ravnica has changed so much over the time he has been trapped here."

"But will you miss him?" Chandra repeated sternly. "I mean, you've been his constant companion all this time, I think how you feel about him leaving is something that should be _damn relevant._ I mean, I figure you're supposed to be this stoic guardian angel or whatever, but you're still a person. Your feelings still should come into _some_ consideration."

"It will be... _different_ once he's gone. I guess you could say I've gotten used to his presence." Avacyn shook her head. "Don't misunderstand, I wish very much for my father's happiness... It would be selfish of me to wish he could stay longer than he already has."

"Well, love is selfish... I think." Chandra shrugged.

"Love?" Avacyn looked up, seeming somewhat perplexed.

"He's your dad. I mean, even if you're just a clone or a copy of whatever, you still think of him as your father, right?" Chandra questioned, smiling at her companion slightly. "I think family is a pretty precious thing, so it's only natural you'd love him, right?"

"I... suppose that would be logical."

"And, even if he and everyone else winds up leaving... I'll stay here with you." Chandra smiled kindly before chuckling to herself. "I mean, I've never been one for traveling, so..."

Avacyn stared back at Chandra in a silence that could only be described as stunned.

"Um... hello?"

"Oh. Sorry..." Avacyn apologized, looking back at her drawing. "It's just... we always seem to have this conversation."

"What are you talking about?" Chandra cocked an eyebrow. "I mean, I might have a pretty crap memory, but I'm pretty sure we've never had this type of conversation."

"Oh, no, _we_ haven't. It's just simply a topic that has come up between me and Chandra Nalaar. I mean, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that we seem to always talk about the same things. You aren't so different from her." Avacyn told her.

"Oh! Did you know... the _original_ Chandra?"

"Not exactly. I was brought into creation soon after the first Chandra Nalaar died. I never got to meet her... but I did meet the others."

"Others? You mean there were _more_?"

"It was upon meeting the first reiteration of Chandra Nalaar that we discovered that souls were being redirected back to the physical plane here on Ravnica. Her existence brought us hope- hope that the others, too, would rejoin us on this plane. I think... out of all those we happened to meet, I think me and my father happened upon Chandra Nalaar the most. Hers has always been a soul that wanted the most to live and find happiness. Or maybe she was searching for someone, and was never satisfied." Much to Chandra's surprise, something that could be described as a soft chuckle escaped the pale-haired girl. "Your existence on this plane has brought me and my father hope for the longest time, so now that you're no longer in the dark about your situation, I suppose it would be appropriate to thank you."

"Thank me?" Chandra questioned. "I mean... you're welcome, I guess, even though it's for something I didn't consciously do."

" _I_ feel it's appropriate." Avacyn insisted.

"...Hey, are you finished with that-?" Chandra began to say, craning her neck. Avacyn brought the pad of paper closer to her in response.

"It's not quite finished yet." She said in a scolding tone, waiting for Chandra to go back to relaxing before she placed the paper back down on her lap. "Something seems a little off about it, so I've been trying to fix it."

"I hope it isn't because I've been moving around. I'm sorry if it is, I really hate standing still for long periods of time" Chandra apologized. Avacyn responded simply by shaking her head before pressing her pencil thoughtfully against her darkly-painted bottom lip.

"Tell me..." Avacyn spoke up after she returned to drawing. "...Have the nightmares already started?"

"So you know about them?"

"It seems those who are reborn who find out about their past selves are given glimpses into their former lives. It's still a mystery why it happens, and why the memories are almost always the worst their former selves can offer up." Avacyn explained to her. "So I take it you had one?"

"I saw my death... I saw Gideon and Jace die, as well. I've never seen anyone die before... I've never experienced death. It was..." Chandra's brow furrowed as she closed her eyes tightly. "I was so scared I couldn't sleep. I'm terrified, Avacyn. I mean, what if something like that happens again!? I was helpless to stop it before... I couldn't save Gideon, and I couldn't stop Jace. In the end there was nothing I could do! So what should I do now? Should I try and fight? Or should I just... give up and go wherever fate takes me this time? I'm afraid to fight... But now that I know what's going on I can't just go with the motions anymore."

"I think you should just... try to be happy."

"Try to be... _happy_?" Chandra parroted.

"I think that was always what Chandra Nalaar wanted." Avacyn nodded, looking down at her drawing in an almost pleased fashion. "She returned to us, time and again, never satisfied. But now I think all the components are here where you might finally be able to find that happiness Chandra Nalaar was looking for."

"Really? And what are those?"

"I think that's something for you to figure out. But... regardless..." Avacyn paused as she held her pad of paper aloft and turned it around so that Chandra could see. It was a portrait of her, looking exceptionally lifelike. But the one thing that really struck her was that Avacyn had drawn Chandra beaming- a wide, ear-to-ear smile. "I think you deserve to be happy. I think... you're truly at your best when you're smiling."

"Wow..." Chandra gasped, standing up and walking over the the drawing to get a closer look. "You're really good."

"Well, let's just say I've had a very long time to practice."

"Heh..." Chandra studied the drawing for a while longer before peering over the drawing pad. "Hey... you know this is probably the most I've ever heard you talk. For a while I just figured you didn't like talking, but it seems like you're actually a real chatterbox."

"It's something I've picked up recently, you could say." Avacyn shrugged before a slight smile crept across her features. "Maybe it's because I finally have people to talk to."

* * *

"Hey! Gideon!"

Walking over to the football field for practice, Gideon heard a familiar voice call out to him. Maybe a little too enthusiastically, he turned around, coming to find Chandra running up to him- well, that's how it was until she tripped over her own two feet, stumbled the entire way and fell against him.

"Whoa! Hey there, clumsy!" He exclaimed as he embraced her, making sure she didn't fall onto the ground. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just my usual, smooth-ass self!" Chandra laughed off her fumble as she straightened up, allowing Gideon to hold her a short moment more before she squirmed out of his embrace.

"So... how are you?" Gideon asked, an air of caution seeming to form around his words.

"Oh. I'm-"

"Come on, loverboy, we need to get to practice!"

"Yeah, you can flirt some other time!"

Gideon's teammates who had gone on ahead jeered. Gideon looked over his shoulder, not even holding back an inch of his annoyance.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up!" He shouted before turning back to Chandra. "Sorry about them..."

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"What? No, I'm just heading to practice- and if you really want, they can handle themselves without me." He reassured her.

"N-No! I just... wanted to talk for a second." Chandra averted her gaze a bit, blushing.

"What about? Are you doing okay!?" Gideon asked, sounding very worried. Chandra chuckled at first, affectionately patting him on the shoulder (although she had to do so by standing slightly on the tips of her toes) "I mean... I hardly saw you at all today, and you totally disappeared during lunch."

"I just needed some time to think, but I feel a lot better now, I promise." Chandra said with the usual grin. "I was just... over-thinking things, I guess."

"Well that's good. Whatever Avacyn said, it must have worked." Gideon sighed, his entire form relaxing in relief. "Though I can't really imagine what it possibly could have been, since she usually doesn't talk very much."

"You'd be surprised." Chandra laughed. "You just have to get her on the right subject, trust me"

"Well, if you're feeling better, what's up?" Gideon asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, not exactly... I just... wanted to ask you something." Chandra's cheeks began to grow red, and Gideon couldn't help but reflect back a bit of shyness as well. He nodded, silently urging her to continue. "It's... about the dream I had last night."

"Oh no-"

"No, no, it's nothing bad, I promise! I told you, I'm fine!" Chandra urged. "It's just... before the original Chandra and Gideon died... Gideon had told Chandra there was something he wanted to tell her when things were over. Of course, he never really got the chance... and I can't help but wonder..." She paused, eyes turning downward, towards her feet. "... What is it... do you think he wanted to tell her?"

"Is that it? That's what you wanted to ask me?" Gideon questioned.

"...Mm hmm..."

"Well, I can't say for sure... but..." Gideon leaned down and reached out, gently cupping Chandra's cheek and waiting until she forced herself to look up, back at him. "I think that maybe he wanted to tell her that he loved her... and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life fighting beside her."

All at once, Chandra leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips forcefully against his. It was shocking for a good, few, solid seconds before Gideon brought himself to kiss her back. He lost himself in the feverish lip-lock for what was only a few seconds, but, from his perspective it felt much, much longer. Feeling her tongue brush against his lips, he feared he might even be driven mad by the passion he was holding back.

"Woo! Go cradle robber!"

"Grab her ass!"

Gideon groaned as he pulled away to glare at his teammates he had figured had gone on without him.

"Sorry! I guess this wasn't exactly the most appropriate place." Chandra laughed, clearly uncomfortable, her cheeks as red as tomatoes. "I got too caught up and lost control."

"No, no, I'm sorry." Gideon apologized frantically before looking back over his shoulder. "Sorry the guys on my team are such _assholes, and that I'll have to beat some sense into them_!"

Their onlookers merely hooted and hollered in response, only egging Gideon on before they all ran off in the direction of the field. Gideon shook his head in annoyance before he looked back at Chandra who was smiling shyly to herself, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

"Sorry again. My teammates just like teasing me, they really don't mean any harm by it." He assured her, reaching out and ruffling her hair. "Maybe... if you want we can continue this later... you know, in private?"

"I-I-!" Chandra stammered at first, a blush on her cheeks.

"T-That is, if that's alright with you!" Gideon added in a panic. "I don't want to force you or anything!"

"Heh, no, it's..." Chandra chuckled before looking up at him with a grin. "That would make me... really happy."

* * *

For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Sorin could feel exhaustion begin to seep into his bones. Nothing of any particular interest had happened on campus that day- just the usual things, if not a little more work that had to be done concerning the guilds. Or maybe a lot of things had come up concerning the guilds. It wasn't that anything bad had happened, it was simply that the ten- or rather now, the eleven groups usually functioned on their own without him needing to constantly check up on them. Hardly a day into the planning for the running of the maze and already now the guilds and all their members had begun to run him ragged.

Finally arriving at Markov Mannor- an old house set up near the edge of the Ravnica Academy campus that could probably house two large families with room to spare- the slightest twinges of pink and light purple had begun to dye the sky. It seemed, at least for that day, that he'd have to work from his office at home. At least he wanted to _relax_ before being thrown back into preparation hell, and at this rate he'd only be allowed an hour if he were meant to return to campus before the sun rose.

Much to his dismay, when he strode into the main entrance of the manor, he came to find most of the curtains had yet to be drawn over the windows. Normally, before she turned in for the night, Avacyn was courteous enough to make sure the curtains she drew back during her own waking hours were closed.

"How troublesome..." He muttered to himself as he began to go about closing the curtains himself. "It isn't like Avacyn to be so careless."

"Oh, father, you're home."

Sorin turned around in surprise to find the very cause of his current frustration to be standing right behind him, holding aloft a single candle in the darkness.

"I'm sorry for not closing the curtains, I suppose I just lost track of time. My apologies..." Avacyn looked toward the ground, looking oddly ashamed for something so insignificant.

"No, it's quite alright..." Sorin assured her before voicing his curiosity. "...But what are you doing up at this hour? Normally you sleep until well after sunrise."

"I couldn't sleep, so... I figured I'd wait for you to arrive back home." She explained to him.

"You knew I had a lot more work that usual to do- I even told you I'd be home quite late." Sorin sighed. "I'm quite sure I've had this discussion with you before- how you shouldn't deprive yourself of sleep just to wait for me. If I ever need you at any time, I will-"

"I'm very much aware of that, father." Avacyn cut him off, looking him dead in the eyes with a look that was surprisingly serious- like she was about to lecture him. But, in the soft light of the candle she held, Sorin watched as her expression softened a bit. "It's just, we don't get to sit down and speak casually with one another much anymore. And.. if things are to go in our favor with Beleren and his friends then... It occurs to me there may come a time where we won't be able to do either anymore."

"Avacyn..."

"Forgive me if what I'm doing seems a bit odd." Avacyn continued. "I'm aware of how much you wish to be free of this place and return home. I just... I find it a bit unfortunate that I won't be able to go with you so I simply wish to treasure the remaining time we have left together."

"What? Do you think once my spark reignites I'll leave this place and never come back?"

"S-Sir?" Much to Sorin's surprise, his daughter that was usually so eloquent, stuttered.

"It's true I've spent more time than I would like skulking around this plane, but I've also invested too much of my efforts in this place to simply leave and never come back." Sorin chuckled as he reached out to brush a lock of white hair that had fallen in Avacyn's face. "Rest assured, when the time comes where I can travel between worlds again, I won't abandon this place... or you, Avacyn."

"Oh... is that so?" Avacyn turned away, but not before Sorin caught the slightest hint of a smile on her face. "Well, then, consider me relieved."

"If you still wish to talk, you can do so while you help me close all of these curtains." Sorin laughed slightly. "And then I could, perhaps, prepare something for us to drink."

"Well then, you're in luck. I already put some blood in the fridge to thaw." Avacyn told him as she walked passed him and began closing the curtains.

"Avacyn..." Sorin simply spoke her name, waiting for her to turn around and face him.

"...Yes?"

"Thank you."

"For the blood?" Avacyn asked with the tilt of her head. "Because I noticed we were out, so I just-"

"No, not for the blood." Sorin shook his head. "I mean thank you... for everything."

* * *

Niv-Mizzet stood impatiently, looking over the dark sea, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black horizon. He stood on a grand cliff that looked over the massive expanse of water- a sacred meeting place that could only be visited by dragons. There were other others tucked away in the mountains- in more traditional places, but this one was the closest to the city of Ravnica, and he didn't have the time or the patience for any longer a trip.

A mixture of nervousness and determination brewed in Niv-Mizzet's belly, swept up and tossed about by the storm known as fear. On one hand, nothing about him had changed- he was still hugely self-assured, prideful in knowing that he could possibly find the strength inside him to do what he had come there to do. But, on the other hand, he might as well have been standing on the sea cliffs, quaking in his boots. It took a considerable amount of strength to hold back any sign that he was worried or afraid. He was Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind! Dracogenius! There was no reason for him to have any fear... was there?

"So you're the one who summoned me here." A dark, husky voice chuckled from behind Niv-Mizzet. Torches that were placed around the perimeter of the meeting place suddenly lit up, acting now as magical wards and shielding the grounds from any wandering eyes or travelers. There was no way in, and, until the wards were dropped, no way out. A shiver ran up Niv-Mizzet's spine, and his breath caught in his throat. It took him a good, few seconds before he could swallow back his fear and turn to meet his foe.

"Yes... it was me." He muttered, meeting the steely gaze of Nicol Bolas- this time taking the form of an older, sophisticated man. Bolas chuckled in an almost amused manner, looking seconds away from breaking down into booming laughter.

"How interesting! You know, had this meeting happened a few hundred years earlier, I wouldn't have even given it or you even the slightest chance!" He laughed. "However, now a-days my presence isn't very often required by anyone, so even a call from a fledgling such as yourself is enough to pique my interest. But what could it be that you want from me?"

"I want nothing from you, Bolas..." Niv-Mizzet snarled, covering up his obvious discomfort with aggression. "I've come here to challenge you!"

Unable to hold it back anymore, Bolas' chuckling finally grew into thunderous laughter. In his frustration, Niv-Mizzet went right on talking.

"You think I don't know the scheme you're trying to pull with Ravnica Academy!? I've done my research, and I tapped every security device in that school!" Niv growled, wanting, first and foremost, now, to be taken seriously. "I've heard all your secret little meetings with your so called 'guild' and I know what you're planning- beginning with you aren't going to give me or any of the other dragons what you promised us. If you think I'm just going to sit around and act as your obedient pawn, you've got another thing coming!"

"Then what do you plan on doing?" Bolas' laughter came to an abrupt halt, his voice now cold, serious, and echoing all around them as he approached Niv-Mizzet. "If my plans bother you so, what are you going to do about it?"

"I-I'm going to stop you! I'm going to kill you right here an now- and then, I'm going to solve the maze that lies beneath the city, claim the prize that lies at the end and use it for myself!" Niv roared. "Don't you look down on me because I'm apart of the newer generation! We have evolved, and we have adapted- maybe even enough to measure up to someone like you! And when I'm through with you, and I claim what is rightfully mine in that maze, I'll also do away with your legacy!"

In his rage, Niv-Mizzet gave up his human form completely, changing in both size and shape until he towered over Nicol Bolas as a grand, crimson dragon, the blue frills that circled his head flared out proudly. Smoke and bits of bright, glowing ash poured from his nostrils and mouth and his wings flapped violently, kicking up dust and causing the flames of the wards to dance frantically. A primal rage built up inside of him, and forced it's way out in a giant, earth-shaking roar. However, all the while, Nicol Bolas remained unmoved.

"How absolutely adorable."

"What are you doing!? Transform! Transform and fight me so I can burn you to cinder!" Niv-Mizzet snarled, looming over Bolas who merely looked up at him with a look of amusement that only frustrated Niv further.

"You know, normally I would have humored you and relieved myself of this human shell to battle you, but I really don't see the point." Bolas sneered.

"And why is _that_!?"

"Because..." Bolas chuckled darkly as he grinned a wide, nasty grin. "...I've already won. I won this fight before it even began."


	24. The Storm

The grounds of the campus seemed completely empty. Almost no one was around, save for the odd college student who had nowhere to be and the four other students who trampled frantically across the lawn, speaking frantically among themselves as they made their way to school- A tiny, panicked stampede.

"I can't believe we actually waited for you!" Liliana shouted between gasps for air as she ran. "This is going to be the first time I've ever been this late, and it's going to be because I was courteous! This is bullshit!"

"I'm sorry!" Jace apologized for the countless time that morning as he took up the rear, ever so slowly falling behind the pack of his friends that were all more athletic than him. Chances were, considering they were already late to their first class, they would probably leave him behind if he stopped to catch his breath. "We had a late night and forgot to set an alarm!"

"It's my fault, really! I forgot I had a really important test today in calc right before we went to bed! If I fail that class, I'm off the football team!" Gideon explained, sounding the least winded and leading the four of them in their sprint to the school building. "Jace was nice enough to quiz me until some godawful hour in the morning, so if you should be mad at anyone-"

"You're the one who wouldn't let me go upstairs and kick down their door, Lili!" Chandra groaned, interrupting Gideon and giving Liliana a light shove as she ran ahead of her. "I could have gotten these too whelps up in a second, but nooooooo, let's have them wake up by themselves this time! Jace is under enough stress already, we don't need you kicking their door in!"

"I regret it now, you don't have to rub it in!" Liliana shot back. "It would be like this, though: the first time you actually listen to what someone tells you, it winds up making us late!"

"Don't you pin this on me! Out of everyone here, I am the least to blame!"

"Guys, come on. Now's really now the time to fight, so-" Jace began to try and get between them, attempting to dispel whatever argument was about to be dredged up.

"Shut up, Jace!" The two girls surprisingly spoke in unison. It seemed, at the very least, the two of them were mutually angry with him.

"Oh my gods!" Gideon coming to a complete halt took each of the others by surprise. Chandra ran headlong into his back, accidentally tripping up Liliana who reached out and used Jace to try and right herself. And while she managed to regain balance, she did so by throwing Jace completely off and accidentally caused him to completely crash and burn onto the grass.

"Jace!" Liliana gasped, running over to and looming over him, not sure if she should simply stand there and wait for him to rise or help him up. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, no, it's alright..." Jace grunted, sounding like he was in a bit of pain. "I probably deserved that one..."

"Gideon!" Chandra groaned as she pushed herself away from his muscled form angrily before working her way around him so that she could yell at him to his face. "What the... hell?"

Chandra's stunned tone caught the interest of both Liliana and Jace- who slowly picked himself up, refusing a hand Liliana had extended to him. Not that she noticed and not that Jace noticed her gesture, either. The four of them had their gaze fixed on the school building, which was surrounded by a swarm of police cars and bright yellow "DO NOT CROSS" tape. An ambulance was parked nearest the front entrance, and everywhere they looked there seemed to be all manner of police wandering around the premises- inspecting doors and windows and talking with a few familiar faces of some of the staff. However, whatever they were there for didn't seem to be outside.

"What... what happened?" Chandra asked under her breath. But, despite how quietly she had spoken, a voice answered her- one that didn't belong to Chandra, Gideon, Liliana or Jace, but one that made the former three react like they were suddenly in the presence of an irritating noise or a foul smell- or maybe, possibly both, Jace observed.

"What happened indeed!"

Jace turned around quickly to meet whoever had spoken, but the other three did so hesitantly, looking bothered. Behind them stood a boy looking about the age of Gideon, Jace and Liliana. Looking like a cross between a human and something much more tied to the searing flames and biting fangs of the underworld, his skin was noticeably red and two, slightly curled horns grew upwards from his forehead. He even had a tail that flicked mischievously from side to side. With hair swept to one side and wearing clothes that would be at home on visiting royalty, he looked a chaotic mixture of a punk and aristocratic- although his eyes read nothing but trouble maker. He carried a pen in one hand, a pad of paper on the other and had a tape recorder tied to and dangling from his wrist.

"Buzz off, Tibalt." Chandra immediately snapped coldly

"Now, don't you think that's a little harsh, Miss Nalaar?" The boy, Tibalt, asked, a sly grin on his face- hardly looking at all intimidated by the potential of Chandra's wrath- or even the fact that Gideon and Liliana looked just as equally unwelcoming.

"Not as harsh as using the school paper to help spread nasty rumors about people." Gideon retorted angrily.

"Such anger, Mister Jura. I only wish to share with my fellow students the truth they deserve to know. You make it sound like I make my columns up." Tibalt chuckled. "As a journalist, I only strive to report the truth- or are you still sore over the fact I exposed all of your former guild leader's secrets? The public had a right to know."

"Like hell they did! Just as much a right as you had butting in where you weren't wanted- which I assume you're doing now." Gideon snarled. Jace looked to his friend, surprised by his anger.

"Well of course I'm not allowed to be here, but a swarm of cops and medical staff would make anyone curious, so I've been here all morning collecting any sort of gossip I could sniff out. By this time tomorrow I'll probably have a full article about it." Tibalt grinned. "You can get even cops to talk if you work them at the right angle."

"You're despicable." Liliana muttered. "I can't believe they let you stay on the school paper after all that shit you pulled."

"Forcing me to begin attending the night class was punishment enough- nothing in that group but a bunch of freaks and nobodies. Nothing of interest ever happens with a bunch of people who are old news." Tibalt spat. "I'm a valuable asset to the school paper. Without me, they wouldn't move half as many copies as they currently do. Which reminds me..." Jace felt a shiver run up his spine as Tibalt's chilling gaze fell on him.

"I've been meaning to get into contact with you, mister Beleren. Seems you're the one all the other guilds are after to represent them in that upcoming maze-running event. Any leanings toward what guild you're thinking of running for?"

"I-uh-"

"Don't answer him, Jace. He's only going to twist your words." Chandra growled, eying Tibalt like she was contemplating possibly setting him on fire.

"Chandra, Chandra, Chandra, still upset about that article I wrote about your big brother, are you?" Tibalt laughed, shaking his head. "If I didn't someone else would have. It was really only a matter of time."

"Someone else would have treated my brother's expulsion with more respect than you, ass!"

"What, and my subsequent article about Liliana's spiteful betrayal wasn't a 'sorry' enough for you? You all act like I wrote what I wrote to single you out. In my eyes, everyone at this school is trash. None of you are above the right to have your private lives exposed. Everyone has a little secret- a dark story worth feeding to the masses. And no one is undeserving of punishment."

"So what are you doing around here?" Liliana asked harshly. "Who are you punishing by skulking around here?"

"Aside from us with your presence..." Chandra added in a low mutter.

"Well, judging by all the police and the medical team, I'm guessing someone was already dealt their punishment. But I feel it's my job to report on just what exactly it was. I've hardly been here an hour and I've been able to piece together what might have happened." Tibalt explained, unaffected by their words.

"Such as...?" Jace dared to ask, but looking at the other three, they looked just as cautiously curious.

"Ppht, like I'd bother to tell any of you. You'll just have to wait until my story is released in the school paper like everyone else." Tibalt smirked, beginning to walk away- but not before Chandra reached out and clutched at the fine fabric of his vest. Her grip was firm and rough as she jerked back on the piece of clothing hard, dragging Tibalt back along with it.

"Really, and you couldn't make just a little exception?" Chandra asked, sounding innocent despite her actions. "I mean, this vest looks really expensive. It would be a real shame if it were to rip or... I don't know- get set on fire?"

"You wouldn't dare! This vest probably costs more than you!" Tibalt shouted, looking like he wanted to try pulling away, but was afraid that in doing so, his clothes would be ripped to shreds.

"Silly little demon boy, getting worked up over something so simple..." Chandra laughed, though the look in her eyes made it seem like she was out for blood. "They're just clothes. What's a little rip here or a singe there, eh?"

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you, just- for the love of the gods, let me go!" Tibalt practically pleaded. With a victorious snort, Chandra freed him, watching in amusement as Tibalt scrambled away a couple of steps and smoothed out where she had grasped at him.

"Well? Go on, mister reporter. Tell us your findings!" Liliana scoffed.

"Ugh..." Tibalt groaned, looking absolutely pained. "I haven't been able to uncover much- I keep getting shooed off by the private investigator and their team the school has got stalking the place. But I've been able to find out, at this point... There's been a murder."

"Mister Tibalt!" Before any of them could react to Tibalt's findings, a voice called out to him, and the half-demon reporter was quick to snap to attention and look like he was about to bolt.

"A-ah, Avacyn! We meet again!" Tibalt responded nervously as the others turned to see their friend duck under the yellow tape that secured the perimeter of the school.

"It seems we have- although I'm quite sure last we spoke you were told students weren't allowed on school grounds for the day." Avacyn spoke, her usual monotone sounding strangely threatening when paired up with her words. "Were you not?"

"O-oh, yes, I was just about to leave! Just talking to my pals here." Tibalt laughed nervously, reaching out and patting Chandra on the shoulder, as if they were friends.

"Touch me again and I'll bite off one of your fingers." She threatened.

"Well, then, you best be off before you're punished for being here." Avacyn told him. "You were given a second chance by being placed into the night class. Please don't squander it."

"Yes ma'am!" Tibalt nodded, immediately beginning to turn around and head in the opposite direction. "Leaving _right now_!"

"Ugh, thanks for chasing that creep away." Liliana sighed as they watched Tibalt turn tail and flee.

"You're welcome, I suppose, but what I said goes for the four of you as well." Avacyn explained. "I'm here representing my father, but other than that all students are not to be on the school grounds. We sent out a message to all of you early this morning. Did you not receive it?"

"Oh, well, I'm sort of in-between phones right now." Chandra chuckled. "My last one sort of had a close encounter with my toilet."

"Mine's battery died. I was planning on charging it in between classes." Liliana justified.

"I'm not sure where my phone is right now. I hardly ever check it, anyway." Gideon added.

"..." Jace was silent for a moment, looking down at his shoulder bag in an almost shameful way. "I... I guess I forgot to look at it when we left."

"You mean we could have avoided that mad dash here if you had just looked at your damn phone!?" Chandra shouted angrily.

"Hey, I'm not the one who dropped her cell phone in the toilet!"

Avacyn loudly cleared her throat, bringing the small spat between the two of them to an abrupt close.

"Well, regardless, I'm sorry but none of you are allowed to be here. I can meet you somewhere once I'm all finished up here. But I'm not sure at present how much I'll be able to tell you." Avacyn sighed, her usual demeanor slipping a bit. It was difficult to tell, but buried deep below the surface, there was an inkling of worry in her eyes. "It all depends on how much the private investigator assigned to the case will allow me to release on my own."

"Well, can you at least tell us vaguely what happened?" Gideon asked. "I mean, was something stolen? Was someone mu- … hurt?"

"I'm sorry, but right now all I can tell you is that something major enough to involve the authorities has befallen the school. Wait for me back at the dorms, I'll be finished here soon..." Avacyn spoke softly, as if she were holding back something.

"Avacyn... is everything alright?" Jace asked. It was easy enough to simply peer into her mind as see for himself exactly what was bothering the quiet angel, but how she acted- how she looked like she was silently breaking down- made him hesitate and decide otherwise.

"...I'm fine... it's just... times like these make me doubt myself as the guardian angel of this plane."

* * *

The cafeteria in the dorms was unusually crowded for a weekday morning, but it wasn't unexpected. Most of the conversation had to do what what was going on at the school, but most of those usually ended with how everyone was so relieved to have gotten the day off. Some people hadn't done homework, others had forgotten to study- something potentially horrific had happened at the school and no one seemed to care. No one accept for Jace, Liliana, Chandra and Gideon, at least, who had given up on looking for an open table and instead had posted themselves against a wall near a power outlet that wasn't being used.

"Do you really think Tibalt was telling the truth?" Chandra asked through a mouthful of breakfast burrito. Upon arriving back at the dorms, she had run off and returned with two trays of mostly breakfast essentials. When Jace asked if she planned on eating it all by herself, she'd thrown one of the pancakes she had at him. "I mean... we've had this kind of thing happen at school before."

"Remember a few years ago, when those students got turned to stone?" Gideon chimed in, sounding like the very thought chilled him to the bone.

"I remember the media coverage." Liliana sighed. "You couldn't watch TV or turn on the radio without someone mentioning what happened. The way everyone jumped all over it, so eager to make magic folk all look like a bunch of monsters... if that sort of thing happens again, I can't imagine the news crews are going to stay away."

"Guys, I think we're forgetting _Tibalt_ told us it was murder. Maybe we should just assume his intel was bad, or he was trying to scare us into reacting."Chandra groaned. "That's what I was asking- should we even trust anything that little cockroach even says?"

"Regardless if we should or not, I think Avacyn's reaction was a lot more telling." Jace finally spoke up. "She seemed... kind of worried, didn't she?"

"You picked up on that, too?" Liliana questioned. "It's true Avacyn isn't completely emotionless as she lets on, but I don't think I've ever seen her so downtrodden. Maybe it was just exhaustion, but what she said to us paints a different picture. Something bad happened on campus, I think we can at least confirm that."

"I just hope it _wasn't_ murder." Gideon muttered. "I don't think this school can stand any more bad publicity."

"Whoa!" Liliana suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention away from the subject at hand. She was looking down at her phone in shock, scrolling through what seemed to be a very long list of _something_.

"...Well, what?" Chandra asked, growing impatient in a matter of seconds of watching her friend look at her phone in stunned silence. "Did someone send you a picture of their-"

"Emmara..."

"Excuse me?"

"Emmara's been trying to get a hold of me all morning... apparently I've missed 50 calls."

"Well that's what you get for letting your phone die." Chandra scolded. "Doesn't that woman know how to text?"

"She only sent one, and all it says is 'call me'." Liliana confirmed.

"I think the fact she called you 50 times is reason enough to call her." Gideon commented as Liliana did just that. "Like, is she your friend, or your stalker?"

"Shut up." Liliana grumbled with the phone to her ear. After a few seconds she seemed to snap to attention, sitting up and looking concerned even though Emmara wasn't actually there. Everyone else leaned in, in attempts to hear the other half of the call.

"E-Emmara! I just got your... Emmara, what's wrong?" Liliana asked as she furrowed her brow. "Emmara, I can't understand you... Please, I need you to calm down- come on, breath! Breath and tell me what's wrong."

"Calls like these make you wonder who's actually the adult in this situation." Chandra mumbled under her breath, but not quietly enough so that she couldn't be heard. She earned a light smack on the head, but she couldn't tell whether it had been Jace or Gideon who had dealt the blow. "H-hey!"

"Alright, listen, where are you?" Liliana asked, already beginning to collect her belongings she had scattered around the floor. "...Alright. Just stay there and try to calm down in the meantime. I'm heading over right n- Yes, Emmara, I am... no, you're not troubling me. It's not a bother, where else could I possibly go today? … Just sit tight, alright. Don't do anything stupid before we get there. E-Emmara- _Emmara_ , I just said it was alright. I'm hanging up now. I'll be there as quick as I can."

Liliana closed her phone and heaved a long, bothered sigh as she stood, followed by everyone else.

"I swear, only Emmara would apologize for having bothered me while having a panic attack." She muttered, shaking her head.

"So, it's a field trip to the school nurse's place, then?" Chandra asked, throwing her backpack over her shoulder

"You guys wouldn't mind coming, would you? Emmara doesn't usually freak out like this, but when she does she's sometimes a lot for one person to handle."

"Hey, Emmara's our friend, too. And I doubt she'd mind the company." Jace assured her. "But... what was it she called you about? If she usually doesn't act like this, what's got her in such a panic?"

"I couldn't really understand her. She was speaking way too fast and crying more than actually speaking." Liliana explained. "But, from what I was able to make out, I think it had something to do with Niv-Mizzet."

* * *

Jace had seen Emmara upset once before. But even in her panic she remained composed and managed to rear herself in. To him, Emmara always seemed emotionally balanced and well managed. So, when he and everyone else arrived at her apartment- a few doors down from Liliana's place, it seemed- it came as a bit of a shock to see the elven woman in such an awful state, looking like she was cowering behind the door instead of opening it to let them in.

Her eyes were red and the skin around them was flushed and puffy. Her cheeks were stained with fresh trails of tears and her hair looked like she had only just then gotten out of bed: tangled, twisted and tossed to either side of her head chaotically. Her lips quivered as she tried to speak, but all that escaped her was a tiny, anxious noise.

"Emmara!" Liliana gasped as she surged to the head of the pack to force her way into her friend's home and rested her hands on her shoulders in a firm but comforting way. Even so, Emmara flinched, squeezing her eyes tight and sobbing lightly. Her fright gave way quickly, though, and she threw her arms around Liliana as she began to cry. Liliana looked down at her crying friend in concern as she reached up to run her fingers through her pale-blonde hair.

"It's okay, we're here." She practically whispered. "We're all here, it's alright."

"Oh, Lili..." Emmara sobbed, face buried against her shoulder. Her voice was hoarse and quivered wildly, even though it sounded like she was putting considerable effort into trying to at least sound normal. "I tried! I really, really tried to help! But... There was nothing I could do! I-I... It's all my fault!"

"Shhh, whatever it is, I'm sure you're not to blame..." Liliana assured her while looking back at the others with worry in her eyes. "Let's go inside before we draw unwanted attention." Carefully and slowly, Liliana lead Emmara inside, followed by everyone else.

The inside of Emmara's apartment was just about exactly what Jace expected. Everything felt extremely welcoming and homely, just like the tenant herself. Every piece of furniture seemed to have come from the same set- her bookshelf, her table near the kitchen, the couches set beside the windows- with all of them being made out of a dark, red colored wood with ornate designs of curled branches and heart-shaped leaves carved into all of them. And everywhere where there was sufficient light, there seemed to be a plant occupying that space. Tiny pots of colorful flowers, tropical-looking plans with long, hanging, waxy leaves and larger potted plants that were starting to look like they needed to be transferred to the outdoors were set up all about the main room.

Allowing herself to be led over to one of the couches by Liliana, Emmara quickly snapped to attention as a light whistle began to echo from the kitchen. For a moment, she was even able to escape Liliana's grasp, looking stressed out by what sounded like tea she had begun to prepare herself.

"Right, the tea..." She muttered to herself before Liliana grabbed her and pulled her back, directing her emotionally distressed friend in a more forceful manner toward the couch.

" _I'll_ get it, Emmara. You just sit down and try and relax." She sighed, sounding exhausted even though she had only been in the presence of Emmara and her panic for a few moments. "Have you taken your medication? For your anxiety problem?"

"I-I forgot to... this morning I was in such a hurry and now..." Emmara muttered as Liliana audibly groaned on her way to the kitchen once Emmara had been seated. Everyone else gathered in the living room with her, shuffling about awkwardly, unsure if they should join the school nurse- who looked like she was about to break down again- in sitting.

"No wonder you're still such a mess. You're an adult, you should be able to take care of yourself..." Liliana could be heard, speaking to herself more than to Emmara, as she began to search through the cupboards in the kitchen.

"W...What happened, Emmara?" Jace finally got up the nerve to ask.

"Yeah, Liliana said you mentioned something about Niv-Mizzet." Chandra chimed in. "Did that asshole do something mean to you? You want us to rough him up for you? Because I wouldn't decline a chance to punch that dumb lizard in his smug face."

"Calm down, Chandra. I think the last thing we need right now is for you to be arrested for a hate crime." Gideon muttered.

"What? I'm not going to punch him because he's a dragon. I'm going to punch him because he deserves to... be taught... a..."

A soft, quiet noise caught Chandra's attention and brought her tirade to an end. Looking back over to Emmara, she and the others came to find she had begun to cry once again with her face in her hands.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry! Was it something I said!?"

"Chandra!" Liliana scolded as she joined them in the living room with a cup of tea in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. "What did you say to her!?"

"That's what _I'm_ trying to figure out!" Chandra shot back. "All I was saying is that if this is about Niv-Mizzet being an asshole, I'm going to clobber him! He's always harassing Emmara anyway, so someone should eventually be inclined to take a swing!"

"He's dead."

Emmara's voice, even though it was quiet- hardly climbing about a whisper- was just enough to cut through the argument like a knife. The room grew dead quiet as all four of her visitors stared back at her, all of them trying to figure out if they had misheard her. Emmara, on the other hand, said nothing as she sobbed quietly, resting her head against her knees as she trembled.

"...Who's dead, Emmara?" Gideon dared to ask. Emmara sniffled, shaking her head vigorously.

"Emmara, _what happened_?" Liliana spoke up, a firmness in her voice that made even Emmara, consumed by anxiety, stop shaking and lift her head. She looked up at her friend with tears spilling from her eyes.

"Niv-Mizzet... is dead."

"What!?" Everyone collectively gasped.

"Niv was a pretty awful guy, but I don't think anyone had any motive to _kill him_!" Gideon murmured, hand over his mouth. "So... how could this have happened?!"

"Literally how?" Jace added, seeming puzzled as much as he was worried. "Dragons aren't exactly the easiest things to kill- _if_ he was murdered, anyway. And, even if someone did manage it, I think it would have been a lot obvious. If a fight enough to take down even a young dragon happened at school, you'd think there would have been a lot more damage."

"Like, you're really sure?! Like one-hundred percent?" Chandra questioned. "I mean, we're not overreacting about a little dragon-boo-boo are we?"

"Chandra, I don't think Emmara would make that kind of assumption-" Liliana began to protest. She didn't want to admit her elven friend was the sort of person to overreact.

"He's dead!" Emmara suddenly raised her voice, shrilly shouting as she gripped the cushions of the couch like she was afraid she'd fly away if she let go. "I was with him when he died! I know what dead looks like, I don't make mistakes like that!"

"E-Emmara..."

"I found him in the nurses office this morning when I came to school. I could hardly make out what he said, but it sounded like he was begging me to help him! He didn't want to die and I... I tried everything, I even resorted to trying to use magic! But... even then, he was beyond my help..." Emmara cried, going back to hiding her face in her hands. "All my life I just wanted to help people. I even went against my family's wishes just so I could get an education in nursing. And the first time it actually matters... the first time I'm finally given a chance to save someone... I can't. He died because I couldn't save him!"

"Please, don't blame yourself!" Liliana urged as she took a knee beside her friend. "You tried everything you could to save him, didn't you? It wasn't your fault, you tried your best."

"Wait..." Jace spoke up. "How did Niv-Mizzet fit inside the nurses office when he died?"

"He... was in his human form... Why?" Emmara mumbled.

"Yeah, what kind of question is that?" Chandra chimed in.

"Emmara... how exactly did Niv-Mizzet die?"

As soon as Jace asked, before Emmara could even open her mouth to speak, someone knocked- no, _pounded_ on her front door.

"...Who the hell?" Chandra muttered after a short silence, followed by a second series of loud knocks.

"Should we answer it?" Liliana asked, looking to Emmara who looked just about done with talking.

"Well, whoever it is, they really want to be let in." Jace commented.

"I'll get it." Gideon offered, heading for the door. "It sounds like whoever it is isn't planning on leaving any time soon."

"Just tell them to come back later!" Liliana shouted after him, refusing to leave Emmara's side.

"Right." Gideon nodded as he arrived at the door, opening it just as their unexpected guest was about to bang on the door for a third time- their fist raised in the air and clenched tight.

A young woman stood at the door, looking impatient and holding herself in a disciplined manner that was waning slightly. Almost right away Gideon could see she was an elf, her long, pointed ears extending from behind strands of hair that fell straight down the sides of her face- the rest of which was smoothed back and tied loosely into a braid that was long enough to he thrown over her shoulder. A little unnatural for an elf, her skin was tanned, giving her an air of someone who spent a lot of her time outdoors. Her clothes were something resembling business casual wear: a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a black vest that just barely reached her midriff that was left to hang open, black pants that hugged her thighs and legs and a forest-green jacket wrapped around her waist. Sharp shapes were tattooed down her forehead as well as across her cheeks and up her chin, outlining her otherwise soft-looking face in black spikes. She seemed surprised Gideon had answered the door only a moment before her gaze narrowed into an almost disgusted glare.

"U-Um..."

"Is this the home of Emmara Tandris?" She asked, her voice as cold as a winter wind.

"Well, yeah, it is, but, er... who are you?" Gideon dared to ask. The elf woman clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"My name is Nissa Revane, and I have pressing matters I need to take up with Miss Tandris. But I think the bigger, better question is who are _you_? A _human_ , and _obviously_ a student, that's for certain. What could you possibly be doing here?" She nearly growled.

"N-Nissa!" Emmara gasped as she heard the conversation happening around the corner, at her door.

"Nissa?" Liliana parroted, sounding less surprised and a lot more daunted.

"I-I'm just here with some friends- we're friends of Emmara's. B-But she's really isn't well enough to see anyone right now so-" Gideon began to explain before the elf who introduced herself as Nissa interrupted him sharply.

"And yet _you people_ are here. And regardless of whether or not she isn't well, I need to speak to her, as the private investigator brought on to look into whatever odd tragedy has befallen your school. Or do you plan on trying to intervene with my investigation?" She hissed, wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brow. "Should I involve the police in such a small matter such as you thinking Emmara isn't well enough to be questioned? Her mental state is understandably shaken, but time is of the essence here, and if it will take the authorities hauling you and your..." She paused to sniff the air. "...Other _human_ friends out of here, I'll resort to such matters."

"Gideon, wait!?" Much to Gideon's and everyone else's surprise, Emmara had gotten up from off the couch and had stumbled her way over to the front door. Liliana was close behind her, practically shadowing her as they arrived at the front entrance.

"My, look at you, Emmara. You really haven't changed- befriending humans." Nissa sighed, folding her arms and looking like a disappointed parent. "Even your tears are exactly same as the last time I saw you."

"I'm sorry, I just needed someone to talk to. I didn't expect to be getting a visit so soon." Emmara apologized. Somehow, and almost impossibly so, the panic in Emmara's eyes had doubled from before.

"You didn't tell them anything, did you? The last thing I or your school wants is for anything that happened today to be compromised and spread. You know how much humans love to gossip..."

"She didn't tell us anything." Liliana spoke sternly, looking Nissa dead in the eyes. Gideon, along with Chandra and Jace who were peering in on the scene, looked at their friend in surprise. "She was scared and alone and needed a shoulder. We found it appropriate not to pry."

"Hm, well, color me shocked." Nissa chuckled before looking Liliana over with a judgmental gaze. "You must be Liliana. Though, the way Emmara used to speak about you, I always imagined you'd be a shriveled old hag by now."

"Nissa, please!" Emmara spoke out, arms wrapped tight around her own body. The two elves stared back at one another for a good few, long moments with Emmara trying to muster enough seriousness in her tearful gaze as she could before Nissa sighed and shrugged in defeat.

"Thank you all for coming over to try and help out." Emmara said, straining herself to sound kind to keep her friends from worrying. "But you should probably do as Nissa says and head back to the dorms."

"You'll call us if anything happens, right?" Liliana asked, looking from Emmara over to Nissa, who eyed her with a similar, sharp leer. "Or if you need company."

"I will, I promise." Emmara nodded. "Please, don't worry yourself too much about me."

"You know times like these make it so I can't help it." Liliana flashed her friend a quick smile before leaving her side, headed for the door. "Come on guys, let's get out of here before miss private investigator calls the cops."

Filling out with everyone else, Liliana looked to Nissa as she took their place inside. The warm smile she had given Emmara died almost instantly as she glared at the newcomer harshly, as if she wanted with all her might to turn her to stone with her very gaze. Nissa, in turn, did the same.

"Don't go shoving your nose in more places it doesn't belong now." Nissa called out to their backs before slamming the door.

"Gods, hanging around Emmara all the time made me forget that most elves are actually gigantic racists." Chandra grumbled as they began to leave the apartment complex. "You saw the way she looked at us, like she was better than all of us combined."

"That's just the way things are, unfortunately. It's probably because Emmara's involved in the medical practice that she's so nice." Gideon added as he tried to subtly smell his clothes, recalling before how Nissa had figured out all of them were human by simply sniffing the air.

"I couldn't help but notice it looked like that Nissa woman and Emmara... knew one another from somewhere." Jace chimed in, looking to Liliana. "Do you know anything? You were both glaring daggers into one another- have you met her before."

"Never have." Liliana shook her head, trying to wipe the tellingly furious look from off her face. "All I know is that Nissa and Emmara... apparently they went to college together and got... I guess you could say the two of them got pretty close."

"How close are we talking, huh?" Chandra asked, smirking.

"Close enough to have been engaged at one point." Liliana answered her as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Whoa, what!? Are you serious, because I was totally joking!"

"Yup. The two of them somehow found common ground with one another and made plans to get married. But something happened and, from what little Emmara has told me, they called it all off and actually haven't spoken sense."

"Do... do you think we should go back there?" Gideon asked uneasily, craning his neck back to the complex.

"No, no." Liliana sighed, waving her hand dismissively. "Nissa's mean, but she's also a working professional. I doubt she's going to harass Emmara over anything but what happened to Niv-Mizzet."

"Speaking of Niv-Mizzet, though..." Chandra began, looking over to Jace. "What exactly were you getting at before- when you were asking Emmara how Niv died? I mean, I know we're all a little curious, but it sounded like you were on to something."

"It's just... wait, you guys really don't know how weird his death was!?" Jace cut himself off to ask, looking at the other three in surprise.

"What? That someone was able to take out a dragon at the school?" Gideon asked. "You heard Emmara, Niv-Mizzet was in his human form. So any fight that might have broken out probably wasn't as big as it could have been."

"Exactly that! He was in human form!" Jace pointed out, sounding urgent. "But even so, a dragon disguising themselves as a human is a form of magic that they consciously control. They have to be able to cast spells and use magic to keep up the illusion, but once Niv-Mizzet was dead he should have turned back into a dragon. But, according to Emmara, he remained a human even after he had died."

"Jeeze, you sure know a lot about dragons." Chandra commented.

"Well you would, too, if you actually paid attention on class."

" _Excuse me_!?"

"So what your saying..." Liliana cut in, stepping between Chandra and Jace. "...Is that someone else might have bound Niv-Mizzet to his human form."

"I can't imagine anything else that could have been done for him to die and remain in human form..." Jace said thoughtfully.

"What kind of magic would you have to use to do that sort of thing?" Gideon questioned. Jace looked down at the ground, seeming worried.

"Really powerful magic. It takes a really skilled magic user to trap a magical creature in another form they control themselves after they've passed on..." He muttered. "A really skilled... mind mage."


	25. Decisions and Appologies

"You can begin whenever you're ready." Nissa's voice was cool and calm as she sat herself on one of the couches and took out a small recorder from her pocket, setting it on the coffee table crowded with all sorts of books on display- most of them about gardening and plant life. Emmara, on the other hand, remained standing, her eyes cast to the floor. She could feel sweat begin to dampen her palms and her heart pound against her chest.

"...Would you like some tea?" She asked. "I... I just made a pot, and-"

"You _know_ I don't like tea, Emmara. Nothing about my tastes has changed since we last saw one another." Nissa sighed, looking to the single cup of tea and the pill bottle also resting on the short table in front of her.

"So you're on medication now?"

"For my anxiety, yes." Emmara nodded, eyes drifting upwards ever-so-slightly, gaze now focused on Nissa's legs as she crossed them. "I started taking it after... well... you know."

"Well, would taking it now help you relax?" Nissa asked, picking up the little orange bottle and reading the label. "You're going to have to recount what you saw to the best of your ability. No doubt it's going to shake you."

"...I... I suppose..." Emmara nodded, although she couldn't will her legs to move. It had been years- years of trying to forget and trying to move on and trying to ignore her feelings. Years of holding her phone late at night, recounting the same, old number in her head but never actually calling. Years of throwing away old photos and digging through the garbage to save them. It had been years since Emmara had actually seen Nissa, and now she was sitting in her living room.

"Well come over here and take it then. The recorder probably won't pick up your voice if you stand all the way over there." Nissa rolled her eyes as she held out the pill bottle. "I don't want to seem like I'm rushing you, but we're dealing with a case involving a student who was here representing the dragons of Ravnica. It was an act of diplomacy for him to enroll here, so I doubt you're unaware that him dying here isn't going to sit well with the rest of his species."

"I know..." Emmara muttered, taking slow, careful steps over to her. "I just... you..."

"I'm going to have to ask you to set aside your feelings for a second here. I'm not here to bite your head off for what happened between us. I'm here to investigate the death of an important student at your school." Nissa groaned, holding out the pill bottle even further and leaning forward so that the bottle was nearly touching Emmara, who jumped in surprise. "Now take these and cooperate."

"I'm sorry." A lump began to grow in Emmara's throat as she reached out to take the bottle- only to pull away and gasp as her fingers brushed up against Nissa's. But an impatient look from the other elf was enough to move Emmara to reach out again, this time gingerly taking the bottle by the cap and pulling away quickly. The pills inside rattled against the plastic wildly, causing a light commotion as she tried once- twice- three times to unscrew the lid before it finally popped off. Under the scrutinizing gaze of Nissa, Emmara popped a single pill into her mouth and swallowed the tiny tablet dry after a bit of trouble. Normally she would have taken it with her tea, but it was currently sitting in front of Nissa.

"Please, sit down." Nissa motioned to the other couch sitting across from where she sat. Taking a deep breath, Emmara obeyed, shuffling over to and sitting herself down on the soft cushion of the couch. A brief silence fell between them as Emmara looked down at her hands she had clasped neatly on her lap. That entire time she had yet to look at Nissa's face- and even if she could, there was no way she'd ever be able to look her in the eyes.

"...Nissa, I- I've been meaning to apologize!" She blurted out. "I didn't mean for-"

"I didn't come here to hear you tell me you're sorry. I heard enough of that at our sham of a wedding, if I recall." Nissa groaned as she pushed Emmara's tea over to her. "But, if you really have something to tell me you decided to wait years to say, I'll spare you a moment _after_ we're done here. Right now, focus on the task at hand, _please_."

"Sor- I mean, r-right." Emmara nodded.

"Good. Now, begin when you first arrived at the school." Nissa told her as she reached out to press a button on the recorder.

"I... I arrived at the campus shortly before five. I work as the school nurse, but over time I also was given the duty of shutting down the school's security system, since I always seemed to arrive on campus before everyone else."

"So you normally arrive there early in the morning?"

"C-correct. I'm sure the dean can vouch for me, since he gave me the code to shut down the system, but I always arrive around the same time... I-I like the silence that comes with being in the school building alone. It's... really calming." Emmara explained.

"Did it look like there had been any sign of forced entry, or that there had been some sort of fight?" Nissa asked, resting her chin on the top of her hand.

"None that I could see. The doors I went through- er, the front doors were closed and locked. I don't usually scout the entire building, but the route to the maintenance room didn't seem like anything was out of place. Not that I was looking, anyway..."

"Mmm..." Nissa nodded. "And when did you arrive at your office?"

"Right after I shut off the security system..." Emmara paused as her brow furrowed. A moan of discomfort escaped her as she bit her lip. "I... I noticed the door to my office had been left ajar. And then..." Emmara's eyes glistened as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"That's when you found Niv-Mizzet." Nissa completed. Emmara nodded, beginning once again to sob as her lips started to quiver. Nissa withheld a sigh as she leaned back in her seat. "And once you found him dead in your office, you-"

" _He wasn't dead_!" Emmara cried, squinting through her tears. "No... I found Niv-Mizzet alive in a pool of his own blood, with what looked like a dragon's claw rammed through his stomach! He... He looked up at me- he tried to tell me something but I couldn't understand him! I couldn't remove the claw, but I tried everything to keep him alive and cried for someone to come help. I tried to keep him alive... there was so much blood..." Emmara wrung her hands, like she was trying to wipe the blood that had once stained them off again.

"...Do you recall the time of death?" Nissa asked after some hesitation. Emmara could only vigorously shake her head, no.

"...I sat with him until someone found us. Even after he'd gone, I held his hand... I couldn't do anything but watch as he died..." Emmara murmured. "He looked at me like he was confused and scared- like he didn't know what was going on. I couldn't understand a word he said, but I know he didn't want to die... and I... let him."

"Sarkhan Vol of the disciplinary committee confirms he found the two of you right around six in the morning. I'd ask if this was accurate but... suffice to say, I think we can take his word for it. And we'll be able to get the time of death once his body has been examined." Nissa continued on, trying her damnedest to follow protocol. It would be unprofessional and waste space on the recorder is she got up to comfort her former lover. She balled her hands into fists before continuing.

"I know it's hard, but aside from the door being open, was there anything else? Like a trail of blood that suggested the body had been dragged into the room from somewhere?"

"There... wasn't a trail. It was like he'd been stabbed in that very room with-" Emmara suddenly sat up, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Tears clinging to her eye lashes were launched into the air.

"What!? Do you remember something else?" Nissa gasped.

"That claw... I mean, maybe we'll find out for sure once lab results come back but..." Emmara hesitated a moment, looking pale. "I remember when Niv-Mizzet first arrived at this school as a freshman. The school had made a very big deal about it and turned the whole thing into a spectacle. Niv-Mizzet first arrived here in his true form- I'd never seen a dragon before, so I remember how terrified I was. And I remember... his claws were so big and terrifying."

"So... you mean to say the claw used to kill Niv-Mizzet...?" Nissa cocked an eyebrow, and Emmara nodded, looking like she was going to be sick.

"...Was his own."

"Well then, it might have possible been a suicide, though dragons are pretty proud creatures. I can't imagine what would drive any one of them to do such a thing..." Nissa paused and looked over at Emmara, who had gone back to sobbing heavily. For a split second, she felt her own body move on it's own as she began to lift herself from up off the couch. But she held herself back and sat back down, averting her eyes from the crying elven woman across from her. "But it's starting to look that way."

"He looked so scared, though!" Emmara shouted. "I couldn't understand him, but it seemed like he was pleading with me to save him! The look he gave me was a look of someone who didn't want to die, I just know it!"

"Maybe he just had second thoughts by the time it was too late. And either way, it might help your school to possibly look at this as a suicide case instead of a murder. God knows what the dragon community will do if one of their own was _killed_ by someone in your academy's halls." Nissa muttered.

"But-"

"Is that all?" Nissa cut Emmara off, looming over her recorder with her finger hovered over the stop button. "Are there any other details you could remember?"

"...None." Emmara shook her head, blinking tears from her eyes. "That's all."

"Good..." Nissa sighed, stopping the recording before eyeing Emmara with an angry look in her eyes. "Then you can shove that whole 'I let him die' bullshit up your ass."

"E-Excuse me!?" Emmara gasped.

"Do you remember, Emmara, a few days before our wedding?" Nissa asked.

"I..." Emmara's eyes grew wide. "Of course I do... that was the night I almost lost you."

"The night I got stabbed by a friend of one of the guys I helped put away, you were there before anyone else. Had it not been for you, I'd have probably died." Nissa spoke in a commanding, serious voice. "You saved my life, Emmara- probably a lot of other people's lives, too. So don't give me that bullshit that you just let Niv-Mizzet die!"

"N-Nissa..."

"Niv-Mizzet was dead with or without you- with the extent of his injuries there's nothing even the best doctor could have done to save him! You tried to save him and stayed with him even after he passed! You did everything you could for someone who was guarantied to die and you know it!" Nissa continued to shout as she rose from her seat and slammed both her hands down on the coffee table as she leaned over it. "So don't you dare sit there and cry and act like this was your fault!

Emmara sat in stunned silence as she looked, wide-eyed at Nissa, finally meeting her eyes for the first time. Her mouth hung open, but not a sound escaped her. She might as well have stopped breathing she was so quiet.

"Er..." It was Nissa who ended up looking away as she picked up her recorder and straightened up. "I'm sorry, that was really unprofessional of me. I shouldn't have yelled."

"Ni...ssa..."

"I'll show myself out, you deserve a little peace."

"Nissa, wait!" Emmara suddenly exclaimed just as she had begin to turn and leave for the door. Nissa turned back around, looking nothing short of shocked. "Please... don't leave. Let me make you some coffee before you go... I mean... you still like coffee, right?"

"...Yeah."

* * *

Jace lay face down on his bed, nursing a headache that threatened to possibly drive him mad. It really had been none of his business, but now that he knew that someone had died, curiosity had gotten the better of him. It was a long shot to say he could possibly help out with the investigation, but that was the excuse he told himself over and over again as he cast his mind out, searching for anything relating to the case. A lot of what he got was a whole lot of nothing- a lot of students who had less of a clue than him and a lot of unnecessary information and just a pinch of information he could have gone his entire life without knowing.

But every once in a while he latched on to a cop or someone who happened to be apart of the investigation near the campus, but they all seemed to be thinking the same thing. It might have possibly been murder. He learned, little by little, details about the crime and what had happened, but not enough to piece together anything big. And not a soul thought it at all odd that Niv-Mizzet had died a human. That was on the back burner, it seemed, where as what was going to happen once the dragon community caught wind of Niv-Mizzet's death took precedence.

And now, after a day's worth of snooping in the minds of others, Jace was starting to pay for it. He'd long since depleted his own supply, and had recently really just been depending on using the school nurse's office to get his pain killers instead of trying to refill his own personal stash. His head throbbed so much, it was hard to think, much less continue to try and read the minds of people nearby.

A nice little cherry on top of his curiosity getting the better of him had been that the guilds- save the Izzet, but that was hardly surprising- were still pushing to convince him to run the maze for them. It was getting to the point where it was starting to become stressful more than annoying. There was pressure on him that no one else was aware. At the end of the maze was something only he could undo, and it would have been simple if he could have just gone and looked for it himself. But now there was the added bonus of being pestered about it almost every hour, and the growing concern of what guild should be the only one left in place.

To Jace, none of them really had his vote. They all had their own important forms of function, but they all also had their own faults. The Azorius guild was too obsessed with control, the Boros guild seemed like they'd become more like bullies if given the chance, and Dimir seemed much too shady and it sent shivers up Jace's spine just thinking of what would happen if they alone were the only guild to lord over the school. The school would be swept up in a chaotic spectacle if the Rakdos guild had the chance and the power to, and he could say goodbye to a regular, quiet school life with a guild as disorganized as Gruul being left in command. Golgari would probably treat it's place as ruling guild as a joke and Orzhov was more of a shadow enough as it was- the former guilds would probably rise back up in rebellion in their absence. Selesnya seemed to passive a force to do the job correctly on their own (and he hated to admit it, but with Emmara behind the wheel they'd probably get taken advantage of). Simic didn't seem the type of guild to want to even bother and Izzet... Jace couldn't really think of what it would be like, now that they were short their guild leader.

Jace groaned into his pillow, hating himself for letting his mind wander back to such confusing affairs. He knew he had a job to do, and he knew he had an important place in the grand scheme of things, in which all of Ravnica hung in the balance. But, just once, he wished he knew what it felt like to just be an outsider- a bystander. Someone who wasn't caught up in the twisted world brewing below the surface of the school. In that moment, Jace envied himself from the beginning of the year- the boy caught up in nothing special aside for the odd guild assignment. Back then his concerns were about tests and medication and trying to catch Liliana's eye- simpler things expected of someone his age.

Someone knocked lightly at his door, drawing him out of his daydreaming.

"U-Um, come in! It's open!" He called, only having the strength to lift his head from the pillow long enough to speak before pressing his face back into it. He figured it was just Gideon coming back from having pie with Chandra. Maybe he'd be lucky, and his roommate would have brought him a spare slice (with a bite or two taken out of it, of course).

"Oh, good, you're here."

Much to Jace's surprise, it wasn't Gideon who spoke as the door swung open. With new-found energy filling his limbs, he managed to sit up and make himself look at least a little presentable as Liliana walked into the room.

"H-hey! What's up?" He stammered lightly.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to check up on you." Liliana shrugged as she drifted about the room. "You seemed really... I don't know, like you were sick or something all day. You had me worried."

"R-really!? You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine! I've just got a killer headache, that's all!" He assured her with maybe a little too much gusto.

"... Really?" She asked, sounding a little more forceful, like she was trying to ease the answer she really wanted out of him. "Just a headache?"

"Well, I mean, of course the thing with Niv-Mizzet is bothering me, and there's no one we can talk to about it and it wouldn't be smart to bring it up in public- so I guess knowing what really happened at school is a bit stressful." Jace rubbed the back of his head.

"Just that, huh?" Liliana questioned, looking out the window. Now that she was more in the light, Jace couldn't help but notice she seemed troubled somehow. Of course, if she was, she was much better at hiding it than Jace was, that was for sure. But, even so, something managed to bubble up to the surface in her eyes. Something else was on her mind other than her oddly-timed concern for him.

"...Is something the matter?" Jace dared to ask. Liliana jumped a bit, looking clearly surprised by his question. But the reaction, as obvious as it was, vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Not really..." Liliana bit her lip. "It's just... the end of the year is coming up. Then, after that, it will only be a few short months before the whole maze thing. It just seems our destiny is coming at us full speed ahead. I don't even know what we're supposed to do once the time comes, and what's going to happen after."

"Yeah, that kind of sounds like something's the matter." Jace chuckled. "I'm sure everything will play out fine. We just hand over whatever's in the maze to Dean Markov and then, well, I don't know. The skies the limit at that point."

"Are you saying that to me or to yourself?" Liliana asked, her voice strangely and deathly serious. "You're the main player in this game, not me. I'm sure whatever happens isn't going to be as simple as popping in, grabbing what's in there, and getting back to Sorin."

"...It does seem a little odd. He made it sound like it was a huge responsibility and yet... the fact it seems so _easy_ is really troublesome." Jace agreed. "That and this Nicol Bolas person hasn't even shown up yet. I figured he would have shown up by now..."

"Nng-!" Liliana made a noise like she were literally choking on her words.

"What?"

"I-it's nothing. You're right, it does seem rather strange." She responded quickly. "Even so, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?"

"Right." Jace sighed, deciding to put Liliana's odd behavior on the back-burner. Maybe she, too, was starting to realize it was just her and him along in his dorm room. It was an awkward situation to be sure- Jace had taken note of it right away and decided not to bring it up. Just her and him. Alone. Not that he had any intentions of doing something seedy, but still. "The sooner this is over, the sooner I can go back to living a normal life."

"...Speaking of this whole maze thing," Liliana suddenly brought up. "Any decisions about who you're going to run the maze for. It looked like they were back at tit again in trying to recruit you."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Jace groaned, shaking his head in frustration. "I haven't the slightest clue who I should possibly run the maze for. I mean, Azorious, Boros, Gruul, Golgari, Selesnya, Simic, Izzet, Dimir, Orzhov, Rakdos- they all have their good points, but have them be in charge of the whole damn school and suddenly none of them seems appealing at all! I mean, maybe I'm thinking too much into this but-"

"What about the Infinite Consortium." Liliana suddenly cut in. She'd caught him so completely off guard, Jace had to take a short breather before responding.

"Oh yeah, that guild Baltrice is apart of? Yeah, I guess they did just recently become official, but for some reason they haven't really bothered me." Jace said thoughtfully. "I mean, I guess they're an option, too. Maybe they're my only option-"

"Nevermind!" Liliana suddenly snapped, turning to him with a determined-yet nervous- look on her face, like she had something she wanted to do but was unsure if she was making the right decision. "Have you considered you don't even have to run the maze at all?"

"What?"

"Don't you remember what Sorin said!? It's _your_ destiny! Just because the maze is open, doesn't mean you have to run it! You just have to be playing for the right team when the time comes, that's all!"

"Liliana..."

"Do what you feel is right for Ravnica, remember? So long as Bolas doesn't get what he wants, it doesn't matter!" Without so much as a warning, she strode up to him and firmly took his hands. Jace gulped, unable to stop himself from blushing, as embarrassing as it was.

"Whoa, h-hey now-!"

"You want my opinion?" She asked. "If it comes down to what I think, I say fuck it! Fuck it and fuck them and let's just live as we please!" She paused, catching herself a little too late and looking baffled. "I-I mean, _you_ live as _you_ please. Yeah. Right."

"Wow, what's with the sudden passion?" Jace laughed. Liliana grumbled, slowly letting go of his hands.

"Forget it, if you're just going to laugh at me..."

"I guess you do have a point though. I got so caught up in all these heroics, I forgot I'm in control of my own destiny." Jace said with a smile. "Thanks."

"Hey! Jace, you here?!" Gideon's voice suddenly echoed from somewhere as the door opened again. "We're back and we brought you a slice- oh! Liliana? What are you doing here?"

"I-I was just-!" Liliana began to try and explain.

"It's not what you think! Honest!" Jace added frantically.

"I think they doth protest too much, huh?" Chandra, who emerged from behind Gideon, sniggered. "It looks like we got here before they got down to doing anything naughty, though."

"We're not in that kind of relationship!" Liliana protested, her face as red as a beet. "We're just friends, Chandra!"

"Yeah, more like friends with benefits." The redhead chortled back.

"More like friends with none of your business!"

Jace chuckled, trying not to feel too defeated as Liliana and Chandra continued to go back and fourth.

_Yeah, I guess we are "just friends" huh?_

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Nissa turned around, a step away from leaving Emmara's apartment. She hadn't planned for it, but the two of them had talked until it was dark. It had been almost like old times, save for those odd moments when their laughter and smiles and comfort reached a certain peak, and Emmara would look down at the ground like she were holding back tears. Emmara couldn't fully enjoy herself, and because of that, neither could Nissa.

"What did I tell you about saying 'sorry'?" Nissa sighed, forcing herself to remain facing forward.

"I know- I know it isn't going to solve anything but... I ruined something wonderful- something that could have been wonderful... and all this time I've never gotten the chance to tell you why." Emmara muttered, her voice quiet and wavering.

"You know, over the years I think I've gotten over not knowing." Nissa sighed. "We're two different people, I get it. We occupy two very different worlds. You knew it wouldn't work out, and you acted on instinct. I'm not going to blame you for that."

"No! I mean, yes, we are totally different but that wasn't the issue! Please, I've held this in for too long!" Emmara cried as she reached out and grabbed one of Emmara's hands desperately. "Please... I don't want to go another long period regretting what I never got the chance to tell you."

"Well, you have a captive audience, more or less." Nissa rolled her eyes, trying to hide the warm lump beginning to grow in her throat.

"You brought it up before: the night you were attacked. You made it through alright, but it... terrified me. It never occurred to me that I could lose you until that night and, like you said, had I not been there you probably would have died." Emmara's voice began to tremble along with her body. Nissa could feel the tremors as she gripped her hand tighter. "The thought of losing the one I loved after having finally found them... the thought terrified me. And maybe what I did wasn't very smart in the long run, not to mention selfish, but I didn't want to suffer losing you to death. So I decided, instead, to lose you to my own, stupid decisions. At least that way, my last memory of you would be you angry... but alive."

"...Gods..." Nissa muttered through clenched teeth. "You... you're such an idiot, Emmara!"

"What?"

Nissa wrenched her hand away from Emmara and turned around, looking back at her furiously.

"You decided to throw away everything we had just because of a stupid fear!? You could have brought this up with me! I could have helped!" Nissa yelled. "Is this what you wanted!? Because I'm _furious_ now! Are you happy with yourself!?"

"I'm sorry!" Emmara gasped, flinching as Nissa raised her hand, as if to strike her. A slap across the face was less than what she really, truly deserved, though. But even so, instead of trying to guard herself, Emmara simply braced for the impact instead.

"Stop saying... you're sorry... you gigantic asshole!"

Much to Emmara's surprise, instead of a slap, she felt Nissa heavily rest her hands on her shoulders, putting a considerable amount of weight on her. Slowly opening her eyes, she came to find Nissa bowing her head and knees bent enough to where the elven woman who normally stood a good head and a half above her was now practically eye to eye with her. Tears had begun to pool around her eyes and glide down her cheeks.

"You know how long I figured you hated me? Do you know how long I spent trying to find someone else!? Do you know how many times I failed!?" Nissa cried, although she still sounded substantially angry. "I've lived my life since then figuring you just didn't love me back! Do you know how much that hurts!? I should hate you for what you did to me, leaving me at the alter!"

"I'm..." Emmara began before swallowing her words. "...I understand... if that's how you feel. But at least know that everything I ever told you back then was true. I did love you, Nissa! I loved you so much it hurt!"

"Then... then what about now?" Nissa asked, looking up at Emmara, eyes full of determination as well as tears. "Can you say with wholehearted honesty that you still feel the same way? Even after all this time?"

Emmara paused briefly for a moment, looking back at the elven woman who would have been her wife. The look she gave her now harshly contrasted with the look of rage and hurt she'd given her back then when the two of them parted ways. She'd always believed that Nissa hated her after that. But, even still...

"I never stopped loving you, Nissa." Emmara said with a smile. "And I never will."

* * *

Liliana ran across the dark campus lawn, cursing herself for not deciding to return home sooner- both because it had grown extremely cold, making her decision not to wear anything heavier than a light jacket regrettable and because she had intended on checking up on Emmara sooner. Only the gods knew what sort of mental anguish she was suffering from, or what Nissa had said to her. The very thought of having to pick up the pieces for her emotionally exhausted friend was extremely tiring, even though it made her feel equally as awful. So, arms wrapped around her body desperately, she hurried home, going over how in the world she'd cheer up her friend who had witnessed someone die and had a close encounter with her ex-fiance.

"My, aren't we in a hurry?" A voice called out to Liliana that stopped her in her tracks. There was another reason Liliana was feeling nervous and overwhelmed, and it- or rather _she_ was standing only feet away.

"I can't talk right now, Baltrice. Maybe another time." Liliana began before Baltrice cut her off, strutting over quickly and blocking her path.

"I don't think you have much of a say in the matter, _traitor_." Baltrice hissed as she reached out and snatched up Liliana's arm as she tried to walk around her. Her grip was tight enough where it felt as if she were going to move to break it.

"I-I don't know what you mean-"

"Don't you fucking lie to me!" Baltrice shouted. "Don't think for even a second we don't keep tabs on you! Don't you think for even a single, split second that we aren't always listening in! So tell me again, bitch, that you don't know what I mean!"

"I..."

"You what!?"

"I couldn't do it!?" Liliana snapped. "I refuse to be your little pawn anymore. You can tell Bolas he can find another puppet. I can deal with my demon problem mys-"

Before Liliana could finish, she felt a strong, unrelenting force slam into her gut, knocking the wind out of her, before the ground vanished beneath her feet and the scenery whizzed past her vision. Still struggling to draw even a single breath, her body was slammed into the ground, and all she could do was let out a choked moan in lieu of a cry of agony.

"Hate to break it to you, bitch, but you don't just walk away from Bolas. You made a deal, and you aren't going to just up and forget about it!" Baltrice, who had positioned herself on top of Liliana, snarled. A large, blazing flame sparked to life in one of her hands while the other reached out and gripped a handful of Liliana's hair. "At least, not without losing a few of those pretty little features of yours. I'll bet you'll regret trying to walk away from us when your eyelids are fused shut and your face is melted off!"

"Now, now, Baltrice, let's not be too hasty." A third voice caused both girls to freeze in place and made the cold night air seem impossibly colder. "Burning Liliana's face will satisfy you, but it isn't going to solve anything. If you really want to punish her, you'll follow my directions."

"Bolas..." The two girls spoke in unison as Baltrice scrambled to her feet while Liliana struggled out from under her, pain still radiating from where she had been struck. And there he stood, the demon-like dragon who, even now, held her very life in his hands. He had chosen to show up as a human man, dressed to the nines like he was getting back from a high-class party.

"You only had one job, Liliana. It was such a simple job- although I shouldn't be surprised you failed me. Let's just say that Liliana Vess and I have been involved in deals before. It always ended in failure. But blatant, utter betrayal is something new." Bolas chuckled, not seeming angry at all- at least, not on the surface. Below his even tone and relaxed posture, the disguised dragon exuded and aura that paralyzed Liliana who remained at his feet as he approached her. "Surely you must be prepared for what will come as a result. You're a stupid human, but not _that_ stupid."

"I'll endure any kind of torture. I refuse to betray Jace's trust..." Liliana muttered.

"My, how we've changed, Liliana. Allowing people to love you has made you soft." With a surprising amount of gentleness, Bolas reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. "So many people love you. So many people have put their trust in you. So many people have chosen to accept your friendship, and have given you theirs in kind. And now..." Liliana gasped in pain as he suddenly tugged hard on a handful of her hair, but in her fear all she could do was sit there and take it. "All of them will suffer because of you."

"You... you can't!" Liliana cried out.

"Really? Do you really think I wouldn't? Do you even _know_ who I am!?" Bolas sneered. "I will make you watch as each of your friends suffer one by one until you're alone and empty. You will watch as I rip the world you have built up around you to shreds! And then you'll be left with nothing- nothing but your demons!"

"I... won't let you!" Liliana managed to snarl back, looking up to meet Bolas' gaze. "I'll stand against you- we all will! You've already lost- Jace isn't even going to run your stupid maze! And I'm not going to let you lay a hand on my friends!"

"Your determination is adorable- it really is." Bolas laughed, letting go of Liliana's hair. "But, in the end it's going to be all for naught. Your betrayal is no surprise, Liliana. I've already put plans in motion to take every important person away from you, as well as plans to obtain what is rightfully mine inside of that maze. And there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop me."


	26. Growing Suspicion

_The inner-most sanctum of the Selesnya Conclave shook as a possible nearby explosion rocked the infrastructure. The chamber was the very image of peace- a garden tucked away where only the guilds most trusted members were allowed to enter- or at least it had been. Nissa Revane remembered being shown the place when she first arrived on the plane of Ravnica, called to fight off the dragon, Nicol Bolas, who seemed only to want to tear the plane asunder. Against her own, former wishes, the elf had abandoned her plane that was suffering a similar attack, her last remaining hopes she had for her former home being thrust instead onto Ravnica. If anything she only wished to keep a close eye on the matter- the thought of seeing another plane being overrun by chaos made her stomach turn._

_But all of that changed when she came upon the Conclave, or, more specifically, one of it's members. The one who had shown her the magnificent garden in the first place and the one who had convinced her that Ravnica was a plane truly worth defending. Emmara Tandis, a fellow elf who was just as innocent as she was beautiful, had swayed Nissa's heart to help protect Ravnica- not the call to arms from the planeswalker Jace Beleren who seemed to fancy himself their leader. He had a certain important function there, on Ravnica, but Nissa had hardly cared to learn about it. She didn't care about Beleren, and Ravnica was no fond home of hers, but it was to Emmara. And despite his being human, Beleren was an important person to the overly compassionate elf, so it was for her sake that Nissa finally gave in and lent her powers to the man that the people of Ravnica called the Living Guildpact- whatever that was._

_It made Emmara happy, and that was enough._

_But, just like the beautiful garden, that had lost it's luster and was now being used as a place to house and heal the wounded and ease the pain of the dying, Emmara, too, had begun to lose her composure and glow that had once warmed any room. On her knees and bending over a soldier clad in red and gold armor, she stared stared down blankly at the wound that had killed him- a spear driven clean through the armor and through his gut. Emmara was unable to do nothing but numb the pain as he whispered hoarsely that he didn't wish to go. Near the beginning of the war, the soft-spoken elf would have shed tears for him. But all she could do now was look blankly at the now-inanimate object that lay before her. Even with her hair hanging messily in her face, Nissa could tell her dear friend wasn't crying. She held herself in a more exhausted way, like she, too, wished to lie among the wounded and dying._

" _Emmara..." Nissa whispered as she reached down and rested her hand on her shoulder. Emmara jolted into an upright position, her hair flying back as a choked gasp escaped her throat. She reacted to the gesture as if she'd been burned, as always. She seemed more surprised and taken-aback by gentle touches and caresses now. There were many nights where, even wrapped comfortingly in Nissa's arms, she would shake and shiver uncontrollably, mind rocked by nightmares and the ghastly things she had seen as the world she had known collapsed around her. Nissa pulled her hand back, allowing it to fall limply at her side._

" _I-I'm sorry. I... just spaced out, is all." Emmara apologized in an exhausted tone. Her words lacked almost all feeling, almost like she were reading lines and failing to gather enough enthusiasm to actually put emotion into them. Every bit of her seemed to lack her original brightness and energy, with paled skin, deep, dark circles under her eyes, unkempt hair, dirtied clothes, and hands twinged with the crimson dye of blood. "I'll get back to..."_

_As she stood, Emmara uneasily swayed and lost balance. Nissa lunged forward, catching her before she could fall to the floor. For a moment, Emmara leaned against her, resting her head against her bosom and looking like she wasn't sure where she was. For a moment, although from extreme exhaustion, Emmara allowed herself to be embraced without a single shake or shiver._

" _Emmara, you need to rest." Nissa insisted. "Let someone take over, you've done more than your fair share of work!"_

" _I... can't." Emmara shook her head as she pushed herself away from Nissa's embrace. She stumbled back, nearly tripping again. By some miracle she caught herself, head hanging low and hair obscuring her features._

" _Emmara, you're killing yourself! I won't allow it!" Nissa shouted. "You need rest!"_

" _I can't rest! I can't leave my post and let others suffer!" Emmara cried. "Not while Jace is out there, suffering the brunt of this battle! I need to be strong for him!"_

_Another nearby explosion shook the chamber._

" _Jace Beleren doesn't care about you, Emmara!" Nissa shouted furiously. Her own exhaustion gave way to anger she would have normally held back on the others account. "If he gave a damn he'd be here! He doesn't care you're working yourself to death to help the people who have suffered because of his stupid war!_

" _And here I am, caring for you more than I can bear- more than I can stand! Here I am, begging you to stop before you hurt yourself! And all you care about is a_ human man _who doesn't give a_ fuck _about what you're doing to yourself!"_

" _Nissa... I can't-"_

" _SHUT UP!" Nissa screamed over yet another din of something rumbling from outside. "I've watched too many precious things fall away and die because I thought I was doing the right thing! I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you, Emmara! I don't want to lose you, too!"_

_Nissa hid her face in her hands the moment she felt the sting of tears. So many times she wished Emmara was like her. She wished and wished and prayed that a miracle would arise and that she and Emmara could leave Ravnica together. But, instead, the one person who she had come to love was bound on a plane that seemed more doomed to destruction with each passing day- who cared for someone else much more blind to her suffering than Nissa._

" _Nissa, I'm fine... really." Emmara attempted to assure her friend as she unsteadily stumbled to her side. Resting shivering hands on her shoulders she rested her head against Nissa's. "Please, you don't have to worry about me, so please... they need you out there. Jace and everyone need your help more than me._ Ravnica _needs you."_

" _Like hell it does!" Nissa sobbed as she reached out and grasped Emmara's arms tightly. "This plane doesn't need me, and I don't need it! I never cared about this plane! I only used it as an excuse to run away!! All I ever cared for is you, Emmara! I... I love-"_

_Just then, the doors to the inner garden swung open, cutting Nissa off as both her and Emmara- along with the other healers in the room- looked up, expecting another round of wounded requiring aid. But, instead, all that stood at the door was a single man standing alone, familiar blue hood drawn over his head. He held himself like he were the dead reanimated and stared at the floor through his bangs._

" _Jace!" Emmara gasped, freeing herself from Nissa's grip to join him at the door as he stumbled in a couple of steps. Nissa, on the other hand, felt less happy to see the Living Guildpact darkening the doorway to the garden- and it wasn't just because she detested him. Something didn't seem right, and it made her shiver._

" _Jace, what's wrong!?" Emmara asked as she ran to his side. "Are you hurt? Please, let me help you!"_

" _Emmara!" Nissa shouted, taking a cautionary step forward. "Get away from him!_ Now _!"_

" _What?" Emmara looked over her shoulder at Nissa just as Jace let slip something he'd been holding that had been hidden out of sight beneath his cloak. A sickening splat echoed up from the floor and hesitant curiosity got a hold of Emmara as she turned back to see what had landed at her feet. What she found made her want to vomit._

_Liliana Vess, the necromancer woman who Emmara had met once before the war, lay on the ground- or, at least, half of her body did. Her body lacked a lower half and one of her arms, and looked like it had been torn away instead of being cleanly cut in two. Blood and gore pooled around both Emmara and Jace- who hardly looked at all effected by any of it. Emmara, on the other hand, was overcome by nausea and terror as she unsteadily backed away. Somewhere, someone in the room screamed._

" _J...Jace..." Emmara stammered, looking back up at her friend with wide eyes. "What... happened?"_

_Jace merely looked up at her, the look in his eyes sending a violent shiver up her spine. Not a single shred of kindness was left- all that was there was cold and unfeeling. His gaze bore into Emmara, so much that it stung._

" _Jace-"_

_In that moment, Nissa watched as Emmara suddenly fell to the ground, like a puppet cut loose from her strings. At first, she could only assume Emmara had fainted, but something seemed wrong. Jace looked down at Emmara, who lay motionless beside the mangled corpse of Liliana, as if she were an inanimate object that had been blocking his path. A chill ran through Nissa that reached all the way down to her bones._

No. There was no way.

" _Emmara?" She called out, her voice scratchy and hoarse. A panicked murmur began to build at Nissa's back as she waited apprehensively for her to respond. But no answer came as Jace stepped over her body, his cloak drifting over her as he passed. "Emmara!"_

" _She can't hear you." Jace spoke in her stead, his voice unfeeling and seeming to lower the temperature of the room with how chilling it was. "No matter how loud you shout, your words won't reach the dead."_

" _No..." Nissa shook her head as she gazed back at Emmara. Her eyes were open and her expression was nothing short of terrified. Frantic shouts and cries and the chaotic sound of people scampering away could be heard behind Nissa. They, too, were coming to grips with what had just happened right before their eyes. "No... you... why...?"_

_Emmara had died right before Nissa's eyes, and all she was able to do was watch._

" _Does it really matter? Just another pointless casualty of war." Jace explained, sounding awfully unmoved for someone who had just taken a life._

_Jace Beleren, the human who Emmara cared so much for, had taken her life without so much as a reason._

" _You... you... BASTARD!" Nissa screamed, sadness immediately mutating into rage as she charged at him, picking up one of the swords one of the wounded had on their person. Nissa was never one for using weapons frequently, but in that moment she wanted nothing more than to slice Jace to pieces- to make him hurt and to make him bleed. "I'LL KILL YOU!"_

_Blind, burning fury, blood-lust and soul-crushing anguish were the last things Nissa felt as she charged forward, ready to separate Jace's head from his body. However, before she could reach him, her entire world went silent and dark before vanishing into nothingness._

* * *

Nissa bolted upright, a terrified gasp exiting her lips as her hair- undone and allowed to flow freely- flew about her. This wasn't the first time she'd seen it- the retched nightmare of a time long since passed- but it affected her all the same. In an almost insane fashion she ran her hands up and down her body, checking every little part to assure herself that she was awake and alive and real. Breathing ragged and shallow, she choked back sobs as tears blurred her vision.

"Emmara..." She muttered. How many times had she seen it now? How many times had she lived through the same scene over and over, unable to do anything but watch as Emmara's life was taken again and again right in front of her?

"Mmn..." The sound of someone moaning sleepily and stirring beside her alerted Nissa, who immediately began to rub at her eyes in a sad attempt to hide the fact she had begun to cry.

"Nissa...?"

Nissa turned to her once sleeping companion: Emmara, who looked back at her with sleepy eyes through messy hair. It had begun to grow just light enough outside that Nissa could make out her form as she pushed herself up on her elbows, allowing the sheet that had once covered her bare body to slip away. It would have been a lovely sight if Nissa hadn't been slowly coming down from her nightmare.

"Oh, gods, sorry if I woke you..." Nissa mumbled through her hands that hid her face.

"Are you alright?" Emmara asked, drawing closer and reaching out, attempting to rest her hand on Nissa's shoulder. However, she drew away in response, still keeping her face hidden from view. Emmara pulled back her hand, but kept it hanging in the air, ready to reach out a second time.

"Just a nightmare... I'm fine." Nissa attempted to assure her.

"If it was bad enough to make you cry, I'm say you're far from being 'fine'."

"I'm not crying!"

Instead of pressing the issue, Emmara pressed forward instead, wrapping her arms gently around Nissa and burying her face against her arm. Nissa only resisted a short while before allowing herself to relax into Emmara's embrace, sniffling. Slowly, with a quivering hand, she reached up and ran her fingers through her pale-blond hair before moving her touch elsewhere and lightly tracing her fingertips along her collarbone. Everything about Emmara was calming and warm- her long hair that brushed against Nissa's skin, her embrace and her body as she pressed herself against her. For a moment, blinking away the last of her tears, Nissa was at peace.

"Nissa..." Emmara spoke softly, as if she were afraid that raising her voice would break her. "Is this... is what we're doing right? I mean... I'm happy, but I need to know if it's safe to let myself love you again. I don't want either of us to wind up hurt- not like before."

"I don't want to wind up getting hurt, either, trust me." Nissa sighed as she reached down and gently took Emmara by the face- running her fingers smoothly along her jaw before motioning for her to raise her head so the two of them were face to face. "But I've never been as serious about someone as I am about you. We've been apart all this time, but my heart always refused to wander. So if this means I take a lot of damage in the long run, I don't care. I... I love you, Emmara."

"So you said over and over last night." Emmara chuckled slightly, her cheeks growing a light shade of pink. "I love you, too." Speaking those words, her blush deepened, but her smile grew all the wider.

"Then... run away with me." Nissa commanded, using her thumb to brush away a strand of hair that hung in Emmara's face. "Please... me and you, let's just get out of here. Just forget all about these people and this place. Just the two of us..."

"What?" Emmara cocked an eyebrow as she straightened up and pulled away from Nissa's grasp. "Where is all this coming from?"

"I... I'm just worried about you. I want to take you away from all of this before your hurt!" Nissa muttered, furrowing her brow and frowning. "I'm afraid something is going to happen to you, and I won't be here to stop it."

Much to Nissa's dismay, she watched as Emmara went from staring back at her in surprise to shaking her head. The determination that had found it's way onto her countenance dwindled.

"I'm sorry... I love you, but I can't just leave. My life is here, Nissa- My job, my students, my friends-"

"You mean those humans?" Nissa groaned.

"Yes, Nissa, 'those humans' have helped me through a lot more things than you know. I'm doing what I always wanted to do here: helping people. This job and those kids are my life- I can't just up and abandon them." Emmara retorted. "My place is here, at the academy" She paused, taking a moment to study Nissa before sighing. The other elven woman who was usually so put together looked at her most fragile in that moment- eyes cast downwards and bottom lip poking outward in a light pout. And her eyes- Emmara couldn't shake the fact that Nissa looked incredibly worried- afraid even.

"And... my place is also here." She added as she reached out and rested a single finger against Nissa's chest, right above her heart. It was beating hard and fast- Emmara could feel even that much with just her fingertip. "In your heart. I can't run away with you, Nissa, as much as I wish I could. But no matter where you are, I'll always be right here with you."

This time, it was Nissa who reached out suddenly to embrace Emmara, wrapping her arms tightly, firmly and roughly around her- tight enough to squeeze the air from her lungs. She held on in an almost desperate fashion, as if she were wanting to trap Emmara there and keep her from running away.

"Nissa... are you alright?" Emmara dared to ask.

"...Yeah, Emmara." Nissa nodded, burying her face against Emmara's neck. Part of it was out of affection- moved by Emmara's words so much it made her heart pound like mad- but it was also to hide her face. She didn't want Emmara to see just how fearful she still looked, even as she held her and was held in kind. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

As much as Nissa had wanted to remain in Emmara's arms all morning, she knew she had a job she had to get back to. The death of Niv-Mizzet was still a large, looming issue, and she couldn't neglect the case and hide away in the other elf's apartment all day, behind closed doors and under sheets. There was a lot of work still to be done before the media got a chance to catch wind of the tragedy and swarm the once peaceful campus. There were things she had to get to and find out before the situation got out of hand.

So, begrudgingly, she left the warmth of Emmara's abode- with a kiss and an embrace and other, countless, tiny kisses- and escaped out into the cold, wrapped in her green jacket she had once tied around her waist. Snow had fallen sometime during the night, bringing with it cold that bit at her hands and face. Even as the sun rose as she made her way across campus, the temperature didn't seem to rise by very much. But even though the cold was hardly bearable in clothes meant for much fairer weather, Nissa walked not even at a brisk pace, all the way back to where she had left her car, snow crunching beneath her feet.

Her car was parked in the below-ground garage meant for faculty. It was still much too early for anyone to be arriving, and Nissa walked down into the dimly lit cement chamber to find hardly any cars aside from hers and no other people beside herself. And yet, there was something unsettling about the silence- about how the old lights keeping the garage lit flickered and buzzed and how every movement she mad echoed back endlessly. Only when Nissa finally arrived at her car did she realize the reason for her being so unnerved: she really hadn't been alone.

"Rekindling an old flame- how overwhelmingly touching."

Nissa gasped as she whirled around, body stiff and eyes narrowed. A young woman stood behind her, looking no older than a student at the academy- dressed in a regal-looking black coat that draped down to her thighs that were clad in equally black stockings. But Nissa knew better- she knew she hadn't been joined by a random, human stranger. She could recognize the cruel magics drifting through the air anywhere. There was no high-class girl standing before her- just a monster that had long since dug it's claws into her.

"What do you want, Bolas?" Nissa snarled.

"My, my, always so hostile. You act as if you haven't already been working under me all these years." Nicol Bolas chuckled, a wide sneer across his red-painted lips. "One of these days I'll have to punish you for such blatant disrespect." Nissa felt a chill claw it's way up her spine as the disguised dragon spoke, but she held her ground. If anything, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of watching her cower.

"Why are you here?" She spoke as firmly as she could.

"What? Is it wrong for me to want to check up on things?" Bolas asked, raising and eyebrow curiously. "I'm here to see what you've been able to uncover. What does the situation seem like to everyone? If it looks more like a murder we're going to have a little more work on our hands, now won't we?"

"From what Emmara told me, it seems unlikely of the dragon, Niv-Mizzet, to do such things, but from her point of view it looked like suicide." Nissa informed him. "I take it that's how you wanted things to look?"

"Correct. Niv-Mizzet was going to get in the way of our plans, and it wouldn't look good to the rest of the dragons I have under my thumb if I murdered him." Bolas chuckled. "Now all that's left to do is fabricate evidence. We've already arranged for someone to take the fall. Baltrice will be around to bring you details on what you need to set up."

"Who are you making me frame this time?" Nissa practically growled.

"No one important, my dear. No one you should concern yourself with- just a little extra baggage of mine I've decided is alright to shed off. I'm, as they say, 'trimming the fat' before my plans finally come to pass." Bolas assured her, approaching Nissa who took more and more of a defensive stance with each step the malevolent dragon took towards her. "I hope... you aren't taking issue with framing someone for me. It would be very disappointing, at this point, if you were to disobey."

"I think I'm too far down the rabbit hole to try and go back..." Nissa muttered.

"Good, good- because you know what will happen if you decide to turn on me." Bolas smiled, almost as if he were truly enjoying himself. "Your dear, beloved Emmara will meet her end- slowly, painfully, piece by piece."

" _I know_." Nissa snarled, backing away from Bolas and up against her car. "You don't need to tell me, I know. Just have your filthy human underling report to me so I can begin my report. By now, Dean Markov has probably sent word out to the dragon embassy about Niv-Mizzet's death. I'd like to have a person to point my finger at before they seek a trial."

"Heh, well said." Bolas laughed. "You should have the evidence to plant before tomorrow. Until then, carry on your investigation like you would a normal case. I'd hate to have anyone grow suspicious that the renowned private investigator, Nissa Revane, isn't giving it her all to find the person responsible for this crime." With a chuckle, he turned to leave, beginning to vanish into the shadows.

"Bolas!" Nissa shouted, sweat forming on her forehead as she called out to the fearsome creature. "If I do this, you better keep up your end of the bargain!"

"Oh, of course." Bolas smirked. "Neither I or my underlings will lay a single finger on Emmara, and I'll leave the two of you to live on peace once this and other planes beyond are at my command. Do you take me as a creature who would lie?"

"Would it bother you to hear a 'yes'?"

"I won't blame you for being suspicious. You'd never take anything I said at face value unless I was one of your kind." Bolas shrugged. "But I'm always true to my word, especially for those who do as I say."

* * *

Jace walked out the doors of the dormitory, dressed in his winter coat that had been buried in a box shoved far back into his closet. Gideon had told him and Chandra to go on, assuring the two of them he'd be up and something about him being more of a bear than a man and naturally wanting to hibernate.

"If he misses that test he was so worried about because snow makes him want to hide under his covers and sleep, that's his problem." Chandra grumbled, heading out behind Jace. She wore a jacket that had obviously been used by someone- someone much more taller than her, in fact. It draped all the way to her knees and she had it situated where it was zipped all the way up passed her chin and up to her lips. Her words were muffled by the fabric as she spoke. "For once, I'm not going to punish him. Hindsight will be the one to burn his ass this time, not me."

"Still angry about yesterday?" Jace chuckled.

"You guys would have made us late if we'd had classes yesterday, and all because Gideon can only study at the very last damn second." She complained. "So if he wants to sleep in and be late and miss that test that gave all of us grief, it's on him."

"Wow, harsh."

"I like to think of it as tough love." Chandra grinned before taking notice of something ahead. "Oh! Hey! Liliana! You didn't have to wait!"

Jace looked up to see Liliana waiting near where the path broke off toward the school building. At first he felt happy to see her, as always, but something seemed off. She seemed flustered, even from a distance, and as the two of them made their way over to her, he could tell something was wrong. She looked hardly rested and kept on casting her eyes all about, as if she were expecting someone to jump out and surprise them.

"Good morning." He greeted, trying to seem pleasant.

"W-where's Gideon?" She asked, sound more serious than curious. "Is he alright? He isn't hurt, is he!?"

"Wow, jeeze, calm down- or else people will start to think you're his girlfriend and not me." Chandra joked. "The idiot is sleeping in- you know how he gets when it snows. I figured I'd let him be late this time. Maybe this will keep him from making this into even more or a habit than it already is."

"Oh, is that it?" Liliana sighed, seeming oddly relieved.

"Is... something the matter?" Jace asked. Liliana jumped, possibly taking notice to how strange she was acting herself, before attempting to don a more relaxed composure. Even that, however, seemed forced.

"Well, I guess all his business with, well, what happened yesterday has me a bit on edge that's all." She explained. "I mean, yesterday you did mention this could have been the work of a mind-mage. I'd be a little more worried if I were you."

"From what I've been able to uncover, no one else involved has even considered it. I should be in the clear, at least for now. That and I doubt Sorin is going to release any information to students until the case is done and over with." Jace said, though he spoke more to calm himself down than Liliana. His words, assuring them there wasn't any need to be worried he would be a suspect, were just as much for him as if was for the rest of them. After all, he was the only mind-mage that attended the academy, and mages of that nature were rare at best.

"See? Nothing to be worried about." Chandra concluded for him, taking up the front and heading in the direction of the school "Gideon has nothing to do with Niv-Mizzet, so there's no reason to worry about him being next on the chopping block, or whatever."

"R-right. It was silly of me..."

"How's Emmara?" Jace asked as he and Liliana followed suit after Chandra.

"Well, I couldn't get a hold of her yesterday, and I didn't want to barge in late at night..." Liliana explained. "But I did visit her before I came here. She's taking today off, but she seems a lot better than yesterday."

"Lucky her, getting to stay home now that it's starting to actually feel like winter." Chandra grumbled jokingly. "Maybe I should happen upon a dead body. God knows it's really hard to skip class, even with the best excuse."

"Gods, Chandra, don't even joke about that sort of thing!" Jace scolded.

"Alright, fine, calm down." Chandra rolled her eyes before turning her attention to her phone that had begun to ring in her bag (after what had happened the other day, Gideon insisted she buy a new one- after they had gotten pie, of course).

"Sorry on behalf of Chandra for her total lack of empathy." Jace turned to Liliana, chuckling slightly before realizing her focus was cast elsewhere. "Hm?" Curiously, he turned in the direction she was looking and immediately felt as if the ground had vanished from beneath him.

Just up ahead was what appeared to be a quickly thrown together memorial made up of red and blue flowers and other good-intended odds and ends surrounding what appeared to be Niv-Mizzet's school photo. A couple of students were gathered around it, as if paying their respects. Chandra, who was still rifling around her bag for her phone, was the only one who had yet to take notice of what had been erected ahead of them.

"Is that... no, it can't be!" Jace gasped.

"There's no doubt about it. I mean, why else would there be a memorial outside of school?" Liliana murmured, keeping her voice down. "Unless there's been another death we heard nothing about."

"But there's no way the news would be released this soon!" Jace whispered harshly. "How could anyone have... heard about..."

It was then Jace noticed that everyone else around them making their own way to school was looking right at them- or more specifically, at him. They stared at him as if he were a hideous creature that had wandered into their midst- as if they wanted him gone. He couldn't help but recognize it was almost like the way people used to look at Liliana when she passed by.

"U-Um..." He stammered nervously.

"You're seeing this, too, right?" Liliana asked, taking notice of the glares.

"What? Everyone looking at me like they're all ready to lynch me? Because, yeah, I noticed."

"Gideon, gosh! Slow down!" Chandra laughed, answering her phone while being totally oblivious to her surroundings. "For someone who wanted to sleep in you sure have a lot of energy... What? You got a text about what? ...From who? Are you sure it wasn't some stupid prank? A-Are you... no! No way!"

"Chandra... what kind of text did Gideon get?" Jace dared to ask.

"Yeah, Gideon, hang on a second, okay?" Chandra sighed, pulling the phone away from her ear and looking incredibly concerned. "...He said he got a text saying that you may have-"

"Jace!" Jace, as well as the other two looked up to find Avacyn running toward them. Just as always, she was dressed like the cold didn't effect her, but that was either here nor there. What was worrisome was that she looked incredibly stressed out, and her arms were full of what appeared to be newspapers.

"Avacyn? What's wrong?" Jace questioned, glad she had decided to show up. At least now, everyone standing around outside wouldn't jump out and attack him like they looked like they wanted to do with the dean's daughter around.

"My father needs to see you all. _Now_." She urged before beginning to lead the way without a single word of confirmation.

"Wait, Avacyn!" Jace called out to her. "What's going on? Why does everybody..."

"-Look like they want to form an angry mob and run us out of town?" Chandra cut in, just now taking notice of the mean looks being cast their way.

"I don't have time to tell you right now." Avacyn explained. "But I'm sure if you cast your mind into the crowd you'll find out quicker for yourself."

Nervously, Jace did just that, immediately feeling vulnerable standing out in the open for everyone to see. Now, he wanted nothing more than to hide up in the dean's office where he couldn't be seen.

Niv-Mizzet's murder seemed to be common knowledge now- and everyone suspected Jace of his murder.


	27. Getting Personal

The trip to the dean's office was as uncomfortable as it was slow. People clogged the hallways, no one eager to begin filling into classrooms, and all of them glared back at Jace as they passed. Their angry, judgmental stares bored into him, stinging him to his core, but they were nothing in comparison to their thoughts that were left to furiously wander in his presence. And as much as he hated to do it- even after every single person's thoughts seemed to boarder between being furious with him and disgusted by his presence to even passively contemplating murder- Jace felt he had to. All the way to the office, he searched and searched for a reason. How had everyone found out about Niv-Mizzet's death? Why did they suspect him? The dean's office wasn't all that far, but the trip took twice as long and Jace's searches up until that point were fruitless with nothing to show but the fact that everyone either wanted him gone or wanted to hurt him, as well as a splitting headache.

All along the way, though, Avacyn had made a point to snatch any and all newspapers out of people's hands as they passed- holding them tightly against her chest as if she expected people to try and reach out and grab them back. And for every glare, she glared back just as hard.

"Jace, you look like you're about to throw up." Chandra commented quietly. "What's going on?"

"You've read their minds by now, haven't you?" Liliana asked as she shoved her way through a group of students who were in her way. Jace looked back at her enviously. As unfortunate as it sounded, she was used to this sort of treatment from the other students, and seemed more confused about the situation as a whole than bothered by the fact everyone was glaring daggers into them. In that brief moment, she was more amazing to him than usual. "What have you gathered? What's going on?"

"You'll... find out soon enough..." Jace muttered, cradling his already aching head in his hand as they arrived at the doors to the dean's office. As much as he wanted to fill his friends in and lead them out of the dark, he was hardly in the state to talk, his brain wracked with aches and pains that would be normal after an entire day's worth of mind-reading. That and he could hardly hear himself over the angry thoughts of everyone at their back as they were led into the office and out of sight from everyone else

Inside, Sorin was pacing back and forth behind his desk, rubbing at his temple with a finger as he muttered under his breath. He didn't look happy and, as he looked up to greet them, didn't look at all happy to see them.

"Thank you, Avacyn." He sighed tiredly as she continued into the room while Jace, Liliana and Chandra stayed near the door. With a great amount of force, she dropped the pile of papers she had collected onto Sorin's desk, knocking over a few odds and ends that went ignored as Sorin flipped through the stack from bottom to top. "Is this all of them?"

" _This_ is all I've managed to _find_ , sir." Avacyn muttered, hanging her head almost like she were ashamed. "It seems the school newspaper decided to print a lot more copies than usual..."

"Gods and demons, this is a mess." Sorin groaned to himself, shaking his head as he pulled away from the hefty stack of paper. "Miss Revane better be close to that breakthrough about what _really_ happened here she promised she was close to."

"Her and her team are world-renowned. I'm sure they're on to something and this whole mess will be settled by morning tomorrow." Avacyn assured him quietly, looking over her shoulder just enough to eye Jace. Maybe that wasn't a signal for him to make an outburst, but he felt there was no better time to try and figure things out for himself.

"Dean Markov- er, Sorin!" He shouted, taking a bold step forward. Sorin's eyes were still fixed on his desk, but his hushed conversation with Avacyn had taken a pause, giving at least the illusion that he was listening. "How did everyone else find out about what happened to Niv-Mizzet? A-And why do they suspect _me_!?"

"Well now, before I answer your questions, I need you to answer mine." Sorin spoke coolly as he met Jace's gaze. Just his stare was enough to make Jace freeze in fear. "Since it seems you were privy to the news about Niv-Mizzet's... untimely end before your fellow students here today. How, might I ask, did you come across such information?"

"U-Um..."

"Well, Emmara told- OOFF!" Chandra began to inject before Liliana elbowed her in the side, punctuating the red-heads angry response with a sharp shush.

"So that's it?" Sorin groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I knew we should have sent Miss Revane over there sooner- or at least urged poor Miss Tandris that she wasn't to tell you. But... at least all of this is starting to make sense."

"What is starting to make sense?" Jace dared to ask.

"Well, I take it none of you have seen today's school paper?"

"Not yet. Avacyn made a point to hide them all when she saw them." Jace explained before hesitantly asking, "...What's in today's paper?"

"Avacyn." Sorin motioned to the quiet angel who stood before him.

"Sir, do you really think we should-?" She began to protest.

"They boy deserves to know, Avacyn. It won't do us any good to keep him in the dark."

"But-"

" _Avacyn_." Sorin spoke sternly. She grumbled slightly in response, hanging her head and grabbing a paper before quickly making her way over to Jace. She handed him the paper, her eyes focused on the ground instead of him.

"I take it you got to share a word or two with Tibalt yesterday." She muttered. "If that's the case you know the kind of person he is. So take his writing with a grain of salt and skim through the article. I've read through it dozens of times now- I assure you half of it is just nonsense to fill the page."

"Nonsense to fill the... what?" Jace began to say before his eyes fell on the front page of the school newspaper. The moment he read the title, printed in bold, black letters, he went pale. "... _how_?"

"How what?" Liliana asked as he and Chandra drew near, gathering around Jace to see for themselves what about the paper was so shocking. It wasn't soon after that, that their baffled expressions matched Jace's.

"But... how!? Literally how!?" Chandra questioned in a flustered tone. "Isn't this, like, exactly what we talked about yesterday, Jace?" She and Liliana looked to him expectantly, and at first, Jace couldn't summon up words to speak. But Chandra had been right, there was no denying it.

The headline that took up almost half the page read, "IZZET GUILD-LEADER FOUND DEAD: IS SCHOOL'S RESIDENT MIND-MAGE RESPONSIBLE?" and below it was pretty much what Jace and the other three had found out for themselves the other day- about how he'd been found in the nurses office by Emmara, who had tried desperately to save him and how suspicious it was that Niv had remained in human form after death. The similarities stopped, though, after Tibalt, the article's author, began to point fingers at the only mind-mage resent at the school: Jace. And, it seemed the devil of a boy had known plenty about Jace's dealings before-hand: how Izzet was probably the one guild who worked him hardest when it came to asking for his services. There were a few quotes here and there and a long, drawn out section about Niv-Mizzet, but at that point Jace couldn't stomach any more.

"Have you spoke to Tibalt about this!?" Liliana snapped, looking over to Sorin who waited patiently for them to finish reading.

"We decided it wise to speak to you before him- for Jace's safety. We do plan on having a word with our nosy journalist, but it was best you be informed about all this first." Sorin assured her.

"How... how did he...?" Jace muttered, feeling light-headed.

"We spoke to Miss Revane and her team, as well as the police and EMT crew that were present yesterday that Tibalt could have gotten the information from." Sorin explained. "It seems they all got a visit from him, but all of them insisted they didn't share anything that would give this much away. And... aside from them, you three- and I assume the absent Mister Jura- were the only ones who knew about what happened yesterday."

"What are you implying?" Liliana narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think we actually fed that rat information?"

"It's one of a few possibilities, but I personally doubt you'd allow yourselves to 'feed' him anything." Sorin responded coldly. "There is a stronger possibility, though... tell me, did any of you come into close contact with Tibalt?"

"Close contact?"

"Avacyn tells me you spoke with him yesterday. Was there any... physical confrontation?"

"I don't see why that would..." Liliana began to say before stopping abruptly and turning, with Jace, to look at the third member of their party. Chandra looked back at them in shock, raising her hands in innocence.

"Whoa, what?" She asked, looking between the two of them. "Yeah, I grabbed him by the vest so he could tell us what he knew, so what? And the little rat patted me on the shoulder... You don't think he possibly could have... _no_." A look of disgust on her face, she began to pat herself down, looking all over her body for something.

"I'm afraid that might be the case," Sorin told her, "that while you were in physical contact with Tibalt, he used a spell to bug you, figuring your curiosity would get the better of you and that you'd go to find out what had happened yourself. Although I doubt that he expected you and your friends to be such... _wellsprings_ of information."

"It's not like we knew!" Liliana shot back. "We went to Emmara's because she was panicking and we were worried. We didn't go there expecting her to tell us what had happened here yesterday!"

"And I'm sure you didn't, but that doesn't change the fact that Tibalt got his information off of you. And now I need to deal with the potential crime that happened here as well as trying to settle the unrest that's started to build up among the students." Sorin groaned before looking to Chandra, who was still hard at work looking for whatever Tibalt had put on her. "As for the spell, it probably wore off once Tibalt got what he wanted."

"O-oh. Right..." Chandra mumbled, who before then had begun to pull and tug at her clothes to look and see if it was on her skin somewhere.

"So... what now?" Jace finally spoke up. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Unfortunately all we can do at this point is wait. Nissa Revane, the investigator for this case, will be able to deliver results soon- or so we hope. Until then, there's really nothing any of us can do to settle what's been spread among the student body. We can tell them Jace didn't murder Niv-Mizzet until we're blue in the face, but young people these days are so hard to convince once they start to believe something else."

"But Jace has an alibi!" Liliana shouted, surging forward ahead of the group, eyeing Sorin furiously. "He was up almost all night the night before helping Gideon study! There's no way he could have killed Niv-Mizzet!"

"And if Jace were a different type of mage, that sort of story would check out." Sorin responded back, resting both hands on his desk to meet Liliana's angry glare unaffected. "But the fact he's a mind-mage means he could have influenced Niv-Mizzet to do the deed himself without even being in the room. I have knowledge about the crime scene Miss Tandris wasn't able to cry to you about and I can tell you that is a large possibility right now form where we stand."

"Are you saying that you believe this garbage rumor, then!?" Liliana snarled. "Because Jace is going to be no help to you with whatever's in the maze if he gets framed for murder and sent to prison!"

"That is _not what I'm saying_ Miss Vess." Sorin corrected her sternly. "I'm saying that's what we're up against for the time being until Miss Revane proves Jace's innocence. Until then all we have... Is Jace's word."

"Really!? That's all we fucking have!?"

"Liliana, holy crap, calm down! Don't yell at the dean!" Chandra hissed nervously behind her. "You're gonna get us all in trouble."

"I don't want to hear that coming from you, Chandra!"

"Both of you, please don't fight- not here and not now." Avacyn said, sounding close to pleading.

"Jace." Sorin speaking Jace's name brought a painful silence and tension that filled the room. It had been a simple address, but Jace suddenly felt as if a great weight had been set on top of him as Sorin looked back at him with a look that far surpassed simply being serious. It was grave, and it made him break out into a sweat. "I want to hear it from you- not from Liliana or from Avacyn or from Chandra. I want to hear it from you: did you kill Niv-Mizzet."

"Of all the questions to ask- of course he didn't-!" Liliana began to snarl before Avacyn rested her hand on her shoulder. The normally emotionless angel gave her a look that was almost one of warning, wordlessly commanding her to be silent. Liliana bit her lip, groaning impatiently.

"Go on, Jace. He's right." Avacyn urged. "We need to hear it from you."

"... I know." Jace muttered before straightening up as best he could and finding the voice to speak in a stronger tone. "I would never dream of hurting anyone, or forcing them to hurt themselves. I've personally done that sort of thing once, and I've seen over and over again the legacy that the former Jace Beleren left behind here. I never want to do something that horrible again. I would never use my powers to do that sort of thing- _Never_!"

"Not even if you felt that sort of thing were necessary?" Sorin questioned. Jace paused, although determination blazed in his eyes.

" _Never_." He repeated.

"Well, you certainly don't have the disposition to intentionally harm anyone." Sorin sighed, although there was a slight smile on his face. "I believe your innocence, Mister Beleren. I'm confident that, when all of this is finished, your reputation will be cleared."

Everyone, including Avacyn, heaved a sigh of relief.

"However, until then-"

Before Sorin could finish, the doors to the office flew open, followed by the sound of heavy breathing as whoever rudely burst through the doors, trampled inside and slammed them behind them. Much to everyone's surprise, there stood Gideon, hunched over with his hands resting on his knees. He sounded winded and looked like he'd thrown on whatever would fit before he'd potentially ran full speed all the way there- pajama pants, his football jersey and a scarf that Jace recognized as his own.

"Gideon, what the-?" Chandra exclaimed.

"Please, Dean Markov, whatever you're about to do with Jace I beg you to reconsider!" Gideon bellowed despite being horribly out of breath. "Jace is my friend and I know he would never kill anyone! He didn't do it he... he couldn't have!"

"I'm well aware Mister Beleren is most likely innocent, Mister Jura." Sorin told him plainly.

"W-what!?"

"Aw, did you run all the way hear in your jammies?" Chandra chuckled, patting Gideon on the back. "You're a good friend."

"We've established Jace probably didn't do it. Right now we just have to wait for the results to see who did." Liliana explained to her short-winded friend. "There's no need to worry."

"O-Oh..." Gideon muttered, turning red and not from the fact he was breathing heavily.

"But thanks anyway." Jace laughed, feeling the heavy weight that had been pressing down on him begin to dissipate slightly at the sight of Gideon slowly gaining composure in miss-matched clothes. "It means a lot that you came."

"And hey, at least all of this got you out of bed on time." Chandra joked. "Look on the bright side."

" _As I was saying_..." Sorin spoke again, clearing his throat beforehand. "For your safety, Jace, I have to ask you take a leave of absence today- or, at least, until all of this dies down. I hate to be the one to have to assume this of my students, but I can only guess your presence might trigger some sort of violent outburst. I can't let that happen, not with everything else going on."

"It's alright, I understand." Jace nodded. "Between you and me, I think staying back at my dorm room would be the best thing for me to do right now."

"Good, we're in agreement then." Sorin nodded, seeming a bit more relaxed now that their conversation seemed to be coming to a close. "Avacyn will escort you back to the dormitory- and the rest of you should head to class. But as Jace's friends, I assume you expect to be hounded."

"We'll be fine. We can take a little taunting and harassment, especially Liliana." Chandra said with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean, exactly?" Liliana narrowed her eyes.

"Nothing, nothing..."

"If that is all, I must be getting back to work." Sorin concluded. "I'll be speaking with Tibalt later today, so please try not to harass him should you see him."

"No promises." Chandra chuckled as the four of them filled out. Avacyn, sharing a few last words with her father, joined them shortly after. She heaved a quiet sigh, allowing her shoulders to slump.

"Long morning?" Gideon asked, looking down at her in concern.

"One could say that, yes." Avacyn nodded before someone shouting from the crowd caught her and everyone elses attention.

"Beleren, you bastard!" Ral Zarek, emerging from the crowd along with a few other notable members of Izzet, shouted, eyeing Jace with nothing short of murder in his eyes. The others around him seemed conflicted, caught between allowing Ral to continue his angry gait towards Jace and holding him back from starting a fight.

"Ral, please, you have to believe me, it wasn't me!" Jace pleaded. "I would never-!"

"Right, it must have been the _other_ mind-mage attending the academy, then!" Ral snarled, stopping just short of arm's length in front of Jace, who was slowly starting to back away. "I hope you get what's coming to you! I hope you suffer twice the pain Niv-Mizzet suffered! I hope you fucking die in prison! Murderer!"

"Ral, stop!" Liliana snapped, attempting to block Ral's path. "Jace didn't murder anybody!"

"Of course Jace's little girl-toy would defend him!" Ral snarled. "Get the fuck out of my way!"

Furiously, and with a surprising amount of strength, Ral, pushed passed Liliana, knocking her to the ground. His anger at it's peak, Ral gave into his anger, balling his hand into a tight fist and swinging it at Jace, who could do nothing but flinch.

"I ask that you please refrain from violence."

Jace opened one eye and then the other to find Avacyn had stepped between him and Ral and had stopped his attack with her hand, tightly holding his fist in place. He clearly struggled against her grip, trying to the point of shaking to surge forward passed her defenses, but Avacyn hardly even budged. And despite the fact her expression was the very image of calm, the look in her eyes could only be described as threatening.

"Back off, you brat!" Ral barked. "Protecting this murderer just because daddy asked you to!?"

"I'm protecting Jace because he's my friend." Avacyn spoke calmly. "And I won't let you or anyone else touch him."

"You little bitch, I swear to the gods I'll- NNG!" Jace watched as Avacyn slightly adjusted her grip, and he swore he heard a crack above Ral's grunt of agony.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but that gives you no right to act out like this." Avacyn spoke, her voice low and cold. "If you continue to behave in such a fashion, I'm in a position where I could easily snap your wrist. And as a person who works with his hands I _know_ you don't want that."

"Erg..."

"So I ask you not to force me to do so."

"Fine!" Ral yelped as she twisted his hand just slightly. "Gods, let me go! Crazy bitch!"

Quietly victorious, Avacyn released Ral while also pushing him back slightly in the process. He stumbled back into his own group of compatriots, who caught him before he completely lost his balance.

"Now I suggest you get back to class before you're late, Mister Zarek." Avacyn spoke in a warning tone before raising her voice for all who had gathered to hear. "That goes for all of you! A tragedy has occurred, but that doesn't change the fact this is a place of learning! Now go!"

"Wow, talk about your secret badass..." Chandra said in awe as everyone around them begrudgingly obeyed, including Ral, who shot the angel an ugly look over his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Jace quickly dropped down beside Liliana, helping her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked, feeling as awful about what had happened as he looked. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have relied on you to defend me like that."

"He just pushed me over, Jace. He could have done much worse." Liliana sighed as he helped her to her feet and brushed herself off. "It's alright, I'm fine. Worry about yourself a little more, since you almost got clocked in the face."

"R-right." Jace nodded. "Avacyn, thank y-"

"There's no need to thank me. Ral was acting violently, and I felt it had to be stopped. And if I hadn't, I'm sure someone else would have stepped in as well." Avacyn cut him off.

"Still, thank you." Jace repeated. "I'd be walking away with a black eye or a fat lip if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome, if I must accept your gratitude..." Avacyn said, turning away so that her friends at her back couldn't see her smile. "What are friends for, right?"

* * *

Ral nursed his aching hand, unable to shake the overwhelming amount of anger that was still slowly and painfully eating at him. His guild leader was dead, this close to the event that would decide the fate of Izzet and all the other guilds. Without a figurehead like Niv-Mizzet, they suffered a horrific loss. Snarling furiously, with his one good hand he punched a nearby locker.

Without Niv-Mizzet to lead, the guild would surely die with him.

"My, what is with all the anger, Mister Zarek." Ral snapped to attention as he looked up to see Sarkhan Vol looking a confusing mixture of disappointed and amused. "Normally you conduct yourself in a much more controlled fashion than this."

"Do you really have to ask?" Ral growled. "And why do you care? You're part of the faculty, that I get, but you're also the guild leader for the Infinite Consortium. Izzet's loss should be something I'm sure your reveling over."

"Quite the opposite, Ral. The loss of Niv-Mizzet is something I can't help but feel heavyhearted about." Sarkhan corrected, although with a smirk that pointed at insincerity.

"Tch, right." Ral grumbled, beginning to walk passed the head of the disciplinary committee angrily. "Keep your fake condolences to yourself."

"Then how about an offer, then?" Sarkhan sneered as Ral Zarek passed him. "A chance for both our guilds to make it out of this game alive." He waited, not turning around, listening as Ral's footsteps slowed and then stopped completely. It took all of his strength not to grin widely.

"What... kind of offer?" Ral asked, turning around.

"A merger of sorts. Izzet and the Infinite Consortium will exist separately, but if either of us should win the upcoming maze running, we'll allow the other to retain their status as an official guild at this school." Sarkhan Vol offered. "Together, we might be able to crush the competition."

"...Have you offered this sort of thing to any of the other guilds?" Ral asked cautiously.

"Not yet. I figured I'd approach you first, seeing as you were Niv-Mizzet's right-hand man, and taking into account Izzet's horrible loss." Sarkhan spoke, suppressing a chuckle. "Think of it as an act of charity."

"I... don't know."

"And, to sweeten the deal, I can promise you a spot as Izzet's guild leader. The new Izzet that will rise out of the ashes will be under your command." Sarkhan added. "I know guild leaders are usually chosen by vote, but I'm sure I can use my position at this school to both our advantages and... convince them. Not to say they probably wouldn't chose you otherwise- you're a perfect fit for guild leader."

"Trying to butter me up isn't going to help you, I hope you know."

"Ha, I know. But I also know this is too sweet a deal to pass up- so why not lay the praise on a little thick? And doesn't it have a nice ring to it: Ral Zarek, guild leader of the Izzet League?"

"..."

"I can take my offer to one of the other guilds if you feel the Izzet can hold up on their own after losing Niv-Mizzet." Sarkhan shrugged, beginning to turn away. "I understand if you feel you don't need help."

"Wait!" Ral shouted. Sarkhan obeyed, unable to hold back the victorious smirk he'd been holding in all that time. "...I'll do it- for Izzet! Not my own selfish reasons, got it!?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mister Zarek." Sarkhan Vol chuckled. "Follow me. I've prepared paperwork for you to fill out in order to make the merger of Izzet and the Infinite Consortium official. And trust me, you've made the best choice."

* * *

"That bitch, making me wait around in the cold for her." Exava muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself. Late at night, instead of attending classes, she instead found herself waiting around in the old church where the guilds normally gathered. Heat had long since been cut off to the place and being the only one in the building made it a very chilly place to wait. But, it was either that or wait outside where snow had begun to fall, so she wound up having to chose the lesser of two evils. "I swear, that girl is a sick sadist, calling me out here in the cold."

"Why thank you, I'll take that as a compliment." Exava turned around, not hiding an ounce of her anger to greet Baltrice who stood in the doorway. She leaned against the door frame, allowing the snow from outside to drift in.

"Close the damn door, idiot!" Exava commanded furiously. Baltrice laughed, but did as she was told, closing the door before practically gliding over to her. There was something in Baltrice's sly smile that made Exava's stomach turn, but she dared not let it show.

"So, what do you want?" She asked impatiently. "Whatever it is, it had better be important."

"Of course it is, dear Exava. I wouldn't have called you away from class were it not." Baltrice grinned from ear to ear, hands clasped behind her back. "A message from Nicol Bolas himself."

"Hm? What does he want with me? Up until this point he's only treated me like a pawn, and now he's sending his favorites to speak on his behalf?" Exava snarled. "I have half the mind to say 'fuck it' if it has nothing to do with what you people promised me."

"Oh, trust me, it does." Baltrice assured her. "Nicol Bolas would never involve you if you were irrelevant. In fact, you've gained a whole new importance to our plans, and trust me when I say it's something that can only be done by you."

"Stop speaking so formally, it's freaking me out." Exava growled.

"Fine, would you rather call you a traitorous skank?"

"So long as I can call you a bitch."

"Fine, then I'll cut to the chase: I loath you. I despise the fact that we have to use you for our master plan at all and yet, here we are. If it's one thing that makes me mistrust Bolas' decision making, it's the fact that he trusts you." Baltrice rebuked.

"Well isn't that more like it?" Exava sneered. "Let's not waste any more time, then. Being in your presence makes me want to hurl... and let's not forget that your precious Rakdos is waiting on me."

For a long, drawn out moment, the two girls glared hostilely at one another. Exava contemplated stabbing Baltrice through the chest and Baltrice entertained the idea of lighting Exava on fire. But all the two of them did was stare back at one another, quietly threatening the other that they could kill each other and no one would hear them.

"I'm sure by now you've heard the gossip about Niv-Mizzet's death." Baltrice finally spoke.

"Oh, yeah, how that Beleren kid did it? Don't you need him for your stupid plan?" Exava questioned.

"Oh, Beleren didn't do it. His innocence will be proven soon- tomorrow, in fact, if little miss Nissa moves her ass fast enough." Baltrice chuckled.

"Then who did?"

"I have two answers to your asinine question." Baltrice responded. "Niv-Mizzet turned on Nicol Bolas, and him opposing us would have led to disaster so naturally he had to be dealt with."

"So Nicol Bolas killed him, then?" Exava groaned. "I don't see what that has to do with me."

"Well, if you'd shut up and listen, maybe I might get to telling you." Baltrice snarled. "Nicol Bolas is quite the fascinating creature, looking at things objectively. He has power than no other dragon could ever hope to possess- he doesn't go around just breathing smoke and fire. One of his talents, believe it or not, lies in taking someone's mind and bending them to his will. I suppose you could say, on top of everything else, Nicol Bolas is a very skilled mind-mage.

"Now, Niv-Mizzet, he was no pushover when it came to the brains. It would have taken a bit of work to get into his mind the old fashioned way, so Bolas employed a different tactic?"

"You're dragging this on because I'm fucking freezing in my boots, aren't you?" Exava asked through clenched teeth. Baltrice paid her comment no mind, but continued on, lifting a single finger toward the ceiling with a flourish.

"Just one touch is all it takes- A little poke, and anyone, no matter how strong they are, is at Bolas' command." She explained. "Nicol Bolas made sure to give Niv a little parting gift at the guild meeting a while back- a dormant spell, should that stupid dragon have gone against his will. It goes without saying, seeing as how poor, little Nivvy is dead that he did, in fact, try and stand against us. And don't you think the same will happen to you if you so try."

"I'm not an idiot, Baltrice. That and Bolas has sweetened the deal too much for me to just back out. He and you- all of you are disgusting, but I know a good offer when I see one. But don't you think for a second, once this is all over that I'm not going to kill you."

"That's sweet, really, that you'll think of me when this is all over... but I'm not finished." Baltrice smirked. "I haven't gotten to the part where your fat ass comes in."

"Oh boy, you've got me waiting with baited breath now." Exava rolled her eyes and spoke sarcastically. "Why does Niv's death concern me at all?"

"It should, and that's the best part!" Baltrice grinned widely, looking legitimately excited enough to unnerve Exava. "Because you're the one who is going to take the fall on Nicol Bolas' behalf."

"...What?" Exava gasped.

"The dragons of Ravnica will be obviously outraged by the death of Niv-Mizzet. He was sent to this school as a sort of diplomat since dragons have, before this point, been more or less shunned by the rest of the world. He was their chance to prove they could be accepted into our society, and he was killed. And while Bolas has enough influence to keep them from going on a rampage against the school, they're going to need someone to point the finger at, and Bolas would rather not have any bad blood with Ravnica's dragon community." Baltrice explained giddily. "Soooo, it was decided that your useless ass has a bit of worth after all. You'll be to blame for Niv's death- our dear Nissa has already begun to set up evidence linking you to the crime."

"You... you little _BITCH_!" Exava screamed, surprise morphing hideously into anger. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Uh, uh, uh, don't be too hasty." Baltrice chuckled as Exava began to charge- only to have her path blocked by two creatures who came into being with a burst of flame, burning ash and smoke. The duo of monsters, made up of searing flame and claws and teeth, hunched on all fours as if ready to pounce. Exava had no choice but to stop her attack, although her anger was hardly subsided at all.

"You can't do this to me!" She screeched. "I pledged my allegiance to you people! I've given Bolas everything! This wasn't the plan!"

"Yes, yes, I _know_ the wasn't the plan." Baltrice laughed as she drew as near as she could without passing by the two beasts she'd summoned. "This, my dear, _precious_ Exava, is personal."

"...Heh..." Exava chuckled before bursting out into laughter. "So this is how you get back at me for convincing your man he didn't need you? Gods, you're so pathetic! Poor, widdle Baltwice can't get over the fact her old boy toy didn't actuwally wuv her!"

"SHUT UP!" Baltrice bellowed, the creatures at her command roaring in kind at Exava. "SHUT UP OR I MELT YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF!"

"Ooh, scary." Exava mocked. "You need me for your stupid little plan to get back at me, so no matter how you threaten me I know you can't back anything you say up. So how do even plan on doing it? You can't convince people I was a mind-mage all along, can you? What sort of evidence could you possibly dredge up that links me to the crime!?"

Baltrice was quiet a moment, taking a long, deep breath as he brow furrowed and she bared her teeth.

"I'm waiting."

"Niv-Mizzet created a spell only known about by him and the rest of the Izzet League- at least, when he wants them to." Baltrice growled angrily. "It links his mind with the members of the guild, giving him limited abilities that mimic mind-mage magic. If he were to command any of the members to forget something, they would, as if that thing never existed. He could even go as far... as to convince them to kill themselves if he wanted."

"So what, that sounds like something only Niv-Mizzet can do. I don't know that spell."

"Oh, but you could, if you were to steal it." Baltrice offered up.

"Oh, right, like anyone can just walk in to Izzet's little lab and take whatever odd spell they wanted." Exava rolled her eyes. "Niv probably keeps that shit under lock and key where no one can get to it. No way he'd let something so important get stolen like that- strike two, bitch!"

"Izzet can get important things stolen, alright. We made sure to plant evidence of that a while ago." Baltrice smirked, her boldness growing larger and larger. "Izzet manufactured a very potent steroid under rather shady- one could say rule-breaking means. And all we had to do was tell Tajic of the Boros guild that they had done so, and he and his bulky muscles and tiny brain were enough to slip in and steal something that could have gotten Izzet disbanded. Now, tell me if that's something they wouldn't keep 'under lock and key'. If Tajic can take something like that without notice, than even someone as stupid as you can pull it off."

"Ugh..." Exava groaned, losing her composure by the second. "Well guess what bitch! You can frame me all you want, but that doesn't mean I'll admit to anything! You've told me all about your little plan to frame me, and I have enough information on you and Bolas and his scheming to be a bombshell. You've really fucked up here, Baltrice. As always, I win!"

"Oh, _do you now_?" Baltrice cackled. "If you're such a smart little cookie, then maybe you'll remember what I told you about Nicol Bolas before. Come on, I'm _sure_ you can remember it. I'll even go easy on you and give you a hint, bitch, so turn around!"

"So sorry we had to change the plans on you like this, Exava." Exava gasped, hearing a new voice behind her- a familiar voice that filled her with fear so much tears began to fill her eyes.

"Bolas..." She whispered, slowly turning to face him. He had taken the form of an older gentleman this time, dressed as always like he was coming from some sort of formal event. "You... can't do this to me! I've been nothing but loyal! Use Baltrice if you need someone!"

"Baltrice is a lot more important to my plans than you may realize, Exava. She's a very important piece in this game, and I can't toss her to the side." Bolas smirked. "I need someone more... expendable."

"That means you're nothing, bitch." Baltrice laughed as she took her place behind Exava, grabbing her tightly by the arms while her summons guarded the door, just in case. "And don't worry, I'll take _good care_ of Mister Rakdos after you're gone."

Exava screamed, but the swirling wind and snow outside was enough to muffle her final cry enough to where no one heard.


	28. More Than I Can Bear

"It's been ages since we've been able to sit and talk like this." Liliana turned from looking out the kitchen window of Emmara's apartment to face her friend who arrived back at the table with two mugs of tea. The smell of peppermint wafted into the air and into Liliana's nose as she pulled her cup closer, holding the warm glass in her hands.

"Well it's not my fault. If I came skulking over here at midnight when you have Nissa over, I'm pretty sure she'd bite my head off." Liliana chuckled.

Ever since the incident concerning Niv-Mizzet, Nissa had been visiting- first every once in a while, once a week, and randomly during the weekend. But recently, as the end of the year approached, she'd been spending more and more time with Emmara. Not that Liliana minded, with overprotective Nissa being around that was one less friend for her to worry about. If it was one thing she knew for sure, it was that Nicol Bolas didn't make empty threats. With each passing day, Liliana couldn't help but be more and more worried when he'd make good on what he said he would do. Nissa practically guarding Emmara from every possible soul reassured Liliana more than made her jealous.

"I'm sorry about that. I keep on trying to convince her to give you guys a chance, but you know her- very attached to her own way of living to a fault." Emmara sighed apologetically.

"Oh man, if you ever told her that _we_ had a short little fling back when you were a student here, she'd have an aneurysm." Liliana laughed.

"Don't even joke about that, Lili!" Emmara exclaimed. "She has enough of a problem with me being friends with all of you. It's always 'stupid humans' this and 'those people' that. I love her, you know I do, but I just wish she were a little more accepting."

"Well, I really hope you can work your magic and have her open her heart up a little more... but I'm really glad you have her back in your life." Liliana smiled. "I remember all those tearful letters you used to send me right after you called off your engagement. You were so heartbroken and I thought to myself that it was such a waste. She needs to be a little more accepting, but she's super protective of you, and you need to grow a backbone, but you don't have a racist bone in your body for an elf. You two are perfect for one another."

"Need to grow a backbone, do I?" Emmara chuckled. "You're the one taking your sweet time on getting back to Jace after he gathered up all that courage to tell you how he felt... or have you?"

"No, Emmara, I haven't. I'm still thinking. I... honestly don't know how I feel about him. I mean... he's important to me, I know that, but so are all of you." Liliana said thoughtfully before groaning in defeat. "Here I've lived for hundreds of years and I can't even figure out for myself if I love someone or not. I'm pathetic."

"Sorry for pushing the issue, I know you're trying. We all develop bonds at different paces. You have plenty of time, don't you worry." Emmara assured her, taking a sip of her tea. "Just throwing it out there, the boy still adores you."

"Does he?" Liliana questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Trust me, you'd have to do something really, really awful to shake his attachment to you." Emmara laughed. "He must have the patience of a saint, poor boy, waiting for your answer this long."

"Something really, really awful, huh?" Liliana mumbled to herself as she rested her head on the table and looked across the wooden surface. Emmara's pill bottle caught her eye- almost completely empty, just a few little white capsules left.

"How are you doing, by the way? I never get to ask at school when everyone else is around." She asked. "You bring your medication with you to school now, I've seen it on your desk. Have you upped your dose?"

"Only by half, it's not as bad as you think, I swear." Emmara sighed. "I mean... I've calmed down since the... well, the thing with Niv-Mizzet. I just get really bad nightmares now because of it, and it's almost impossible for me to sleep without my medication now." Liliana watched, head still resting against the table, as Emmara gripped her mug a little tighter. "And I take a half during the day when I'm in the office. Every once in a while I guess I just get flashbacks- being in there, alone."

"You're not making it sound like it's 'not as bad as I think'." Liliana narrowed her eyes as she lifted her head. "If you take too much of that stuff too often, you'll become dependent on it."

"I'm a lot stronger than I look, Lili. I can handle a nightmare or a panic attack just fine these days. Just a little more often than usual, that's all." Emmara attempted to dismiss the issue. "Nissa helps me calm down quite a lot, too. She holds me after I wake up from a nightmare, since she suffers from them, too. She never tells me what they're about, though, and she always looks so sad..."

"Maybe she dreams about turning into a human." Liliana threw out sarcastically.

" _Liliana_!"

"What? Just trying to lighten the mood a bit." She chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. "Just... promise me that if the pills or Nissa don't quite cut it that you'll tell me. I really worry about you."

"Oh, Lili, I'll be fine. My anxiety isn't that debilitating!" Emmara smiled. Liliana desperately wanted to tell her it wasn't about her anxiety at all. She was worried the elderdragon she had betrayed would stick his claws into her and do something awful to her. But she couldn't get the words out and, instead, swallowed them down with another mouthful of tea.

"Emmara..." Liliana finally found the words to speak as she looked away from her friend and out the window. She could see only the black expanse of night along with her own reflection. The nights she had spent awake, worrying about the fate of her friends, were starting to take their toll- exhaustion and worry thick in her expression.

"Hm?" Emmara cocked her head curiously, noticing Liliana's shift in her demeanor.

"... Would you consider me a 'good person'?" Liliana asked in an almost cryptic fashion.

"U-Um..." Emmara stammered. "Where did this come from all of a sudden?" Liliana sighed heavily before shaking her head. What point was there in asking Emmara, who knew only the good parts about her, or more or less ignored all of her bad parts? If she wanted an actual, straight answer, Emmara was probably the last person to actually go to- or was she asking for that very reason?

"Never mind, forget it." Liliana mumbled. "It was a silly question to ask."

* * *

"Ugh! I don't get this at all!" Chandra moaned, throwing her head back dramatically and throwing her hands up in surrender before the pile of text books and papers that she had chaotically spread out before her. "I mean, I don't even need to go to school! I can just drop out and join a circus!"

"Chandra, we've hardly started. Can we save the giving up your formal education to be a fire-breathing clown for after we've covered a few more subjects, at least?" Gideon sighed, although he, too, looked like he was understanding the study material as much as the younger red-head. He looked back at his text book, scratching his head nervously. "At least a lot of your final exams aren't accumulative."

"So? I can tell right out of the gate this was going to be hopeless! At this point, I've slacked off so much that me having studied is going to make people suspicious!" Chandra argued before turning to their third companion who, at that point, was trying to come up with two different solutions of how to teach two very different people from two different years and not get distracted by the banter. "I bet you have it really easy, Jace. You can just read the minds of your teachers and get all the answers that way. The life of a mind-mage must be an easy one, indeed."

"I'm not sure if you're trying to insult me, or if you really mean it." Jace groaned as he finally bothered to look up at his friends, unable to hold back the annoyed frown tugging at the edges of his lips. It hadn't even been him who had suggested they get together to study for finals- it had actually been Chandra, as hard as it was to believe at that point as she laid backwards in defeat, limbs spread out all over the carpet of his and Gideon's dorm room. "Besides, I don't use my powers to figure out questions to tests I've known about in advance. Unlike certain people I know who are all for just running away and being an apprentice to Mister Giggles."

"Why do you guys automatically assume I'm going to wind up becoming a clown!?" Chandra moaned in frustration.

"Look, let's focus on the issue at hand, alright?" Gideon sighed as he grabbed his companion gently by the shoulder and sat her back up in front of her study material. "We can talk about your potential future career paths later."

"I didn't even come here to study, gods..." Chandra pouted. "I had all of my eggs in the 'Jace mans up and helps us cheat' basket, but it turns out he's actually too much of a pansy to take advantage of the fact he can read minds."

"If actually having a sense of morals and wanting to learn a thing or two so I can move up in the world makes me a pansy, then yeah." Jace shot back. "No one's making you stick around, Chandra, you're free to go and plan your illustrious clown career elsewhere."

"Maybe I will!" Chandra grumbled angrily.

"Now, now, Chandra! Let's at least cover one of your subjects before you run off in a huff." Gideon chuckled uncomfortably, dragging her back down onto the ground as she attempted to rise. "When you think about it, it's all just memorization. You don't even have to pass your exams- at least aim for C's."

"Yeah, like 'C' for 'Clown College'." Jace muttered under his breath.

"I swear to the gods, Jace, one more word out of you about clowns and I'll make your nose big and red by _breaking it_!" Chandra growled, leaning over her stack of papers to ball a fist in his face.

"Alright, fine, fine, shutting up!" Jace nodded over-enthusiastically. "Let's just start with your weakest subject and take it from there."

"There's a good boy." Chandra smirked, sitting back down once more. "Got him trained real good."

Jace cast a frustrated glance in her direction, but nothing more. At the very least, she seemed a little more ready and willing to study. It seemed that both her and Gideon had waited until the last minute, and it was just their luck that, at least, Jace had done most of his studying ahead of time. Although, they'd been sitting around with their study materials for almost an hour and hardly anything had gotten done at all.

"I'd kind of hoped that the whole Niv-Mizzet thing would push back finals just a little bit- you know, for those in mourning or whatever." Chandra sighed, trying to work out an equation Jace had picked out for her.

"Wow, I don't even know where to begin with that." Jace said in total awe after having recoiled and blinked a few times in surprise. "Setting aside the fact you aren't apart of Izzet, and since my innocence has been proven, it really shouldn't concern you."

"I'm still pretty surprised Exava was the one to have done it. I mean, she didn't really have much of a motive aside from him being a member of an opposing guild." Gideon threw out, taking a break from reading over the notes he'd managed to sloppily take over the semester. "I'm glad they found out who had really committed the crime, but it just seems a little odd."

"You'd better watch your back. I knew the whole guild scene was a poisonous place to be." Chandra warned, shaking a finger at him. "If you're not careful, someone else is going to try and get rid of you for hardly any reason at all."

"Hey, thanks for that, not like I wanted to sleep at all." Gideon muttered, rolling his eyes.

"You _won't_ be getting any sleep if you two keep having all these little side conversations." Jace spoke in a scolding tone, narrowing his eyes. "Now can we please do what we came here to do?"

"What _we_ came here to do, or what you want us to do, because I came here to get you to cheat for us." Chandra quipped.

" _Or_ I could wipe your memory and make it so you _fail._ " Jace added threateningly.

"Jeeze, alright, I'm doing the studying thing, take a joke!" Chandra groaned, going back to her work. Her diligence only lasted a short moment before she spoke up once again.

"Oh, hey, Gideon, I forgot to ask-"

"Oh my gods, can this _not wait_?" Jace grumbled.

"Calm down, Beleren, this is literally going to take, like, two seconds." Chandra assured him.

"Alright, 'two seconds' it is." Jace said sarcastically. "You're on the clock." Chandra rolled her eyes, and turned back to Gideon, an action that wasted the two seconds Jace had allotted her- possibly on purpose.

"Anyway, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted..." She grumbled, throwing a look over her shoulder at Jace. "... The end-of-the-year dance is coming up, and there's that whole tradition of girls asking the guys or whatever so... how about it? You wanna go?"

"U-Um..." Gideon stammered at first, obviously taken off guard. "Sure... I mean, if you want to go-"

"Alright, sounds good." Chandra cut him off with a quick smile before turning back to Jace. "See? Did that take so long?"

"Your level of romance is overwhelmingly heart-warning, it really is." Jace said, totally deadpan.

"Oh please, you're just jealous because no one is going to ask you, and you're just going to have to spend the entire evening up here, alone, or third-wheel it with us." Chandra sneered, throwing her arm around Gideon and pulling him down so that the two of them were face to face. Judging by his expression it probably hurt, but he didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to free himself. "What a sad existence, the life of the friend-zoned."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know very well what it means." Chandra smirked. "I bet it really sucks, not being given the time of day by the girl you _obviously_ drool over- even after you totally macked on her at the last dance."

"Oh, yeah, I remember that!" Gideon added.

"You're not helping one, little bit here, Gideon." Jace muttered.

"And had you not been such an asshole that night you wouldn't be having this problem- squandered your one chance of not being a lonely loser." Chandra shrugged, looking smug. "Unfortunately for you, the S.S. Chandra has sailed."

"Oh, so I missed the ship? More like dodged a bullet." Jace chuckled under his breath.

"What was that, third-wheel?" Chandra growled.

"What? Has your ego finally begun to compound on your senses?"

"You'd do good by getting one yourself! Maybe then you'd actually have a chance with Liliana instead of being her little bitch friend!"

"Well why don't I borrow some of yours, since you have more than enough to spare!"

"Hey, you guys, shouldn't we be studying right now?" Gideon asked, having broken out of Chandra's grasp and returned to his reading material. "You'll have plenty of time to bitch at one another once all of this is over."

"Ugh..." Chandra grunted in defeat before slowly easing back to where she'd been sitting before. "Fine. You win this round..."

"Really? Are you really handing me this victory- how very unlike you." Jace smirked.

"I swear, when this is all over, I'm going to kick your ass!" Chandra snarled. "That's a promise!"

* * *

A gasp followed by the sharp shriek of breaking glass filled what had once been the pleasant silence of the nurses office. Nissa looked up from the book she had brought along to find Emmara standing over a puddle of tea and a scattered pile of broken china, looking like she was trying to comprehend what had just happened. She seemed confused, like she wasn't fully sure what had just transpired for the tea to wind up all over the floor and the cup the tea had been in to shatter at her feet.

"...Emmara?" Nissa cocked an eyebrow, watching as her companion jumped in surprise as she turned towards her, as if she had forgotten she had company to begin with. Right away, Nissa noticed something in Emmara's eyes- a fog, like she'd hardly gotten any sleep, and not just for a night, but for many nights before. Her eyes that were usually so bright seemed hazy. "...Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine!" Emmara stammered in assurance, bouncing back as she began to frantically look for a towel to clean the mess she had made. "I'm just... a little out of it, that's all."

"A little, huh?" Nissa questioned suspiciously as she rested her book on the bed she'd been sitting on and walked over to the spill, dropping into a squat as she began to pick up the broken pieces of the cup. "A little" spaced out was putting it lightly. Emmara had been acting aloof ever since Nissa came to visit (She had a few more bits of paper work to turn into the dean, and she figured if she was going to visit with someone she didn't particularly enjoy the company of, the least she could do would be to get the bad taste out of her mouth with Emmara and her tea). She had to be constantly called and motioned to her tasks at hand- guild paperwork she had been doing, tea that was whistling in the kettle, finding her cache of cups hidden in the medicine cabinet- and every time she'd snap back and look around, like she completely forgot where she was or what she was doing.

"Sorry, I'm not sure what's come over me today..." Emmara apologized as she finally joined Nissa on the floor with a rag. "Maybe it's my medication..."

"This is a pretty new development for a medication you've been taking for a while, Emmara." Nissa sighed as she stood up, only to place the shattered pieces of glass she had collected onto the counter before kneeling back down to rejoin Emmara back near the floor. Her softer-spoken companion held the towel against the spill, letting the tea soak up into the fabric- turning the once pristine-white towel a murky brown. "You didn't take more than usual, did you?"

"Of course not, how could I? Just one in the morning and one at night, like always." Emmara reassured her- maybe a little too urgently. It sounded more like she was attempting to push Nissa away from the topic all together rather than reassure her she hadn't taken one too many of her pills. "I guess I stayed up a little too late last night, that's all."

"Nightmares?" Nissa inquired. Emmara lightly bit her lip in response, a bit of the red lipstick she wore that day rubbing off on her teeth. After a short moment of silence, Nissa moved to get the attention of her companion with a harsh, "Emmara!"

"It was a new one- not just a flashback to what happened with Niv..." Emmara shook her head. "I really shouldn't be bothered by a little nightmare, though- it's not like they're real or anything."

"Real or not, the fear that keeps you up at night _is_." Nissa urged as she reached out and gently cupped Emmara's face on her hands, forcing the blonde to look up and face her. "I'm here for you, Emmara, no matter what for. So tell me, even if it is just a stupid nightmare, what's wrong."

"It was... A city I'd never seen before- a _time_ I'd never seen before. Everything was burning or broken down- I had no idea where I was or what was going on. All I could tell for sure was that I was alone, and the only company I had were... bodies. Bodies of people who had long since passed from... whatever had happened there." Emmara finally began, weaving her tale with a bit of trouble as her drive to tell it wavered. "But... then I saw someone... or something, I didn't take the time to discern who or what it was- only they didn't have much of a face. It was more smoke and shadow than anything else, but I _could_ tell they were smiling at me... no, _sneering_ at me, like they were mocking me. I... I turned to run, but then..."

Emmara's story came to an abrupt hault as she covered her mouth with one of her hands, turning her gaze away from Nissa who gazed back at her with worry filling her eyes. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead, and her skin had paled, as if she were about to be sick.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to continue!" Nissa assured her a split second before Emmara forced herself to continue, squeezing her eyes shut as if the visions from her nightmare were right before her instead of Nissa.

"It was you!" She blurted out. "At least... it used to be you... I assume it was you. As far as I could tell, it was just a shell- a body without a soul shambling around the decimation. It's eyes were empty and vacant, and no matter how many times I tried to get it's attention, it didn't respond. Just kept... walking- dragging it's feet away from me. And... before I could make my way over to it, to make sure something rose up and loomed over the city and it... _roared._ I can still hear it, even though I can't quite explain it. It was a noise I'd never heard before... never _want_ to hear again!" Emmara paused, staring down at her reflection in the puddle of tea that seeped from the towel she now had clutched tightly in her hands. "...I woke up right after that. I'd never been so relieved to be awake..."

"Emmara..." Nissa sighed, leaning in to wrap her arms around her. One of her knees dipped down into the cooling puddle of tea, but she made no move to remove herself as she held Emmara against her so close she could feel the other's heart thudding frantically against her chest.

_A city Emmara had never seen in shambles... could it have been the old Ravnica?_

"...I-I'm fine. It was just a nightmare, it was nothing."

"A nightmare isn't nothing, Emmara." Nissa spoke harshly whilst still embracing her. "It's far from nothing... I should know."

"You mean the nightmares you won't tell me about?" Emmara asked, not meaning to sound as harsh as she came across.

"...Tonight." Nissa muttered after a short pause, drawing backward so that she could face Emmara with a serious look in her eyes that was enough to send a shiver up the others spine. "Tonight... I'll tell you everything."

"Nissa, you don't have to-"

"No, I do. I've kept so much from you- it's all just lies layered on top of secrets. I'll stay with you tonight, and I'll tell you everything..." Nissa insisted. "I mean... what sense would it make to keep secrets from the person who I... want to spend the rest of my life with?"

"N-Nissa!" Emmara gasped. "Was... was that-"

"I'll leave you to think about it until tonight. I'm sure you have a lot to consider... Or maybe I don't think you should give me an answer just yet." Nissa chuckled nervously as she began to rise before Emmara reached out, her small hands finding the fabric of the coat Nissa had wrapped around her waist and holding her in place. She looked down at her, trying to withhold whatever bothered look she would normally let freely show on her features had Emmara been anyone else.

"No matter what it is you have to tell me... no matter who you really are... you know what my answer is going to be, if... if you love me as much as I love you." She told her with a smile, her complexion improving a bit as color began to appear in her cheeks.

"Emmara..." Nissa spoke softly as she leaned down and carefully cupped Emmara's chin with one of her hands. "With any luck, you'll be able to tell me those exact words after I show you who I really am..."

"Nissa?" Emmara questioned after having been held aloft for a short while.

"You're so important to me, Emmara. I..." The rare hue of a blush appeared on Nissa's cheeks as she leaned in, pressing her lips delicately against Emmara's forehead. "I love you... maybe even more than I can bear."

Without so much as a warning, Emmara reached up and wrapped her arms around her standing companion and pulled herself up and Nissa down enough so that she, too, could grace her lover with a kiss- this one against her lips. Nissa neither flinched nor attempted to pull away- just simply allowed herself to be kissed and then, ever so carefully, kissed back.

"W-We can continue later tonight... if things don't go south, that is..." Nissa stammered slightly once Emmara released her and allowed her to stand.

"Yes, tonight." Emmara smiled. "I'll be waiting..."

With a smile and a wave, Nissa departed, taking a moment in the doorway to regain her composure- the overwhelmingly happy expression she wore going back to a flat, serious scowl- before walking out into the hallway. Now alone, Emmara sighed to herself, going back to cleaning up the mess she had made.

"I'll always be waiting..." She said to herself as she reached up with brushed her fingertips that had the faint taste of tea against her lips. For a moment, all of the anxiety, the exhaustion and the insecurity lifted- swept away by the warmth of adoration that swelled withing Emmara.

However, a haze of confusion soon loomed over her as she looked down at the half-soaked-up-spill.

When had she spilled tea? When had she _made_ tea? Was it that time of day already? Where was she? Was she dreaming? Nissa...

_Who is Nissa...?_

* * *

"Liliana!"

Liliana- along with everyone else in her class who had been quietly taking their final exams- looked up as someone loudly and frantically called her name. A wave of confusion and general unrest of being interrupted drifted through the room as Lavinia, of all people, practically plowed through the doorway. To say she looked panicked would be an understatement- she leaned on the door frame in an exhausted manner, her usual calm and collected composure completely and totally in shambles.

"U-Um..." Liliana muttered, not sure if she should be surprised by Lavinia's sudden and altogether disruptive appearance or annoyed in general that it was the Azorius guild's more well-known members- and one of her least favorite- who had come to call for her specifically in the middle of the test.

"I'm sorry..." Lavinia apologized- more to the class than Liliana herself- as best she could with little breath as she attempted and failed to calm herself. "I require Liliana Vess' presence... _now_!" The urgency in Lavinia's voice caused a stir within the class as everyone, nearly simultaneously, turned from the frazzled Lavinia to the overwhelmingly dumbfounded Liliana who, despite the Azorius guild member's demeanor, had yet to even rise from her seat.

"What do you need me for?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "Can this really not wait?"

Murmurs rose from among her classmates, wondering what exactly it was Liliana had done and how it was that Liliana could be so outwardly rude to someone so high up in Azorius' ranks. Lavinia hardly took the time to act offended, surprised or even to try and convince Liliana to come with her. Instead, she purposefully strode into the room, pushing her way past desks and chairs that weren't scooted out of her path for her. Without so much as a word, once she reached Liliana's desk she grabbed her firmly by the shoulder and yanked her up from her chair with a surprising amount of strength. Liliana hissed in pain as she was brought incredibly close to Lavinia.

"H-Hey! What the hell-!?"

"This. Can't. Wait." She snarled, each word bearing an incredible amount of weight. Before Liliana could so much as offer up a retort, the Azorius guild member was already dragging her out of the classroom that was driven into an uproar behind her as people got up and followed her as far as the door as Lavinia forced her to leave with her. Her pace was so fast, Liliana was forced to break out into a jog to keep from getting tripped up.

"Stop! Stop, dammit, let me go!" Liliana shouted before finding the strength to pull herself out of Lavinias grip- who stopped the moment Liliana got herself free to turn to the necromancer with a look that was a mix of a scowl and something overwhelmingly stressed. "What the _fuck_ is going on here, Lavinia!? I was in the middle of finals, in case you aren't aware!"

"What's more important, Miss Vess? Your grades, or your friends?" Lavinia asked in a chilling voice. A shiver ran up Liliana's spine as her eyes grew wide. The ground felt as if it had been ripped out from under her.

"Lavinia... what's going on?" She asked, a strong waver in her voice.

"Your presence is required outside. If we act quickly and efficiently, you'll have nothing to worry about." Lavinia responded sharply before swiftly turning around and breaking out into a run that Liliana had no choice but to match. And, as she followed, she couldn't help but notice other people running in the opposite direction, poking their heads into classrooms, shouting something she wasn't able to hang around long enough to hear.

She followed Lavinia until she led her out one of the side doors leading outside. There were a few other Azorius members and members of the staff (Liliana couldn't help but notice Sarkhan Vol was among them), all of them looking upwards at... something.

"Lavinia, you need to tell me... what... is..." Liliana began to urge as she, too, turned her gaze upward, only to gasp, unable to finish asking, once again, what was going on. There, at the very edge of the rooftop, free from the fencing that surrounded the entire top level of the school, was Emmara- a step away from jumping. She looked out over the horizon, hardly noticing or even caring about the spectators- now growing in number- below. A slight, chilling winter wind brushed passed and she unsteadily swayed, one hand still grasping the chain link fence- the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground below her. "E-Emmara!" Heart now pounding in an almost painful manner against her chest, Liliana turned to Lavinia, anger replacing fear for a moment as her eyes rested on her instead of Emmara.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me!?" She shrieked, grabbing a handful of Lavinia's shirt in her hands tightly.

"I didn't want to alarm you!" Lavinia attempted to explain as Liliana shook her. "We need you to try and talk her dow-!" Before she could even finish, Liliana shoved her roughly away and sprinted back inside. By now people were beginning to drift out of their classrooms, shouting to one another that someone was going to jump off of the roof. Roughly, Liliana shoved her way through the growing throng, snapping and shouting at people to get out of her way.

Forget trying to talk Emmara down. Whatever was happening, she was going to stop Emmara with her own, two hands.

"Whoa, hey!" As Liliana ran into yet another person, they addressed her with a familiar voice. She looked to them briefly, not stopping her quickened pace as she acknowledged she had run into none other than Jace.

"Move!" Was all she could shout as she shoved her way passed him, breaking out into a run.

"Wait! Liliana- Where are you going!?" He shouted, running after her. "Hey! Wait a minute!" He reached out to grab her arm, only for her to snatch it away as if he had burned her. But that, at least, had been enough to stop her. And only then did he notice there were tears building in her eyes and that her breathing was unsteady and heavy. "Liliana... what's going on?"

"Emmara... Emmara is..." Unable to finish she simply shook her head and continued running. Confused, but also worried now, Jace had no choice but to follow after, calling after Liliana but not getting a word in response as she led him up level after level of the school. Tripping and running into walls with each turn in the final stairwell to the roof, Liliana's eyes were so full of tears she could hardly see.

_Don't you leave me! Not you!_

"Emmara!"

_You were the first person to show me a scrap of kindness! You were my first friend! Don't you dare be the first person that I lose!_

" _Emmara_!" Liliana stumbled out onto the rooftop, trying to get her barrings and locate where it was Emmara had been standing. However, everywhere she looked, she saw no one. She rubbed the tears from her eyes, frantically turning her head about and looking again. Still no one.

_No..._

Finally locating where it was Emmara had been- a spot on the edge of the roof that was inhabited by seemingly no one- Liliana scrambled in that direction, heavy breaths becoming frantic sobs.

_No, no, no, no!_

"EMMARA!" She shouted, reaching as far as the chain link fence would allow her. She reached out in desperation, clutching the barrier in her hands.

"Shit! Watch what you're doing, don't shake the damn fence!" Someone below her shouted angrily, sounding strained. Liliana gasped as she looked down, coming to find someone was clutching the very bottom of the fence and dangling over the edge just below her vision.

It was Nissa, and hanging limply from her other, free arm was Emmara.

"Y-You!"

"Stupid, slow humans! If I hadn't been here, Emmara would be dead!" She snarled, groaning as she slowly began to pull herself up, impressively with one arm while still holding Emmara. "I knew something seemed off..."

"Nissa... thank you..." Liliana panted, feeling lightheaded as her knees began to buckle weakly beneath her.

"I-Is that Emmara!?" Jace gasped as he joined Liliana at her side. "Liliana, what's going on...?"

"Don't thank me, human..." Nissa grunted, glaring up at Liliana with a ferocity enough to take her aback. "To have allowed this to happen... I'm not worthy to accept those thanks."


	29. The Company We Keep

Nissa stared down pensively at her hands that were tightly clasped and rested on her lap. Her concept of time had escaped her, and she hadn't the slightest idea if she had been sitting there, just looking down at her hands, for minutes or hours. Even every second seemed to drag, slowing to a maddening crawl. It had been that way ever since she'd been escorted into the waiting room of the hospital, away from Emmara whose present condition remained a total mystery. All she knew before she was torn from the side of her lover was that, after the shocking events that had caused her to try and leap from the school rooftop, Emmara had drifted into an unconscious state no one could lift her from. Nissa wasn't even sure if bringing her to the hospital had been the right choice, but it was all she could think of.

"Emmara..." Nissa muttered to herself, leaning forward so that her forehead rested against her hands. Maybe if she had been more attentive, maybe... or if she had decided to stay a moment more instead of taking her dramatic exit, maybe, just maybe, Emmara wouldn't have... Nissa bit her lip- already fairly chapped from habitually doing so since she had arrived at the hospital.

There had been signs that she had been exhausted, sure, but to suddenly throw herself from the rooftop of the school, not even Nissa could have caught that such a thing was going to happen. She wanted someone to blame, angrily thinking back to Emmara's human friends- the Liliana girl especially, who had shown up shortly after Nissa narrowly had saved Emmara's life. But as much as she thought them below her, even then she could see that they were blameless. Stupid, slow and constantly in the way, yes, but not to blame. The only person she could blame was herself, even though she'd done everything to rescue her.

"U-Um... excuse me..." Slowly, Nissa lifted her head as someone approached and addressed her. It was one of the hospital staff- a human girl with long, black hair that fell slightly in her face no matter how many times she attempted to brush it away in the short time Nissa observed her. Her uniform, belonging to the nurses on staff, seemed a little messily put on- the buttons one off from where they were supposed to be. Already she didn't like the tone the young human nurse had in her voice- all nerves and confusion, sounding unsure instead of coming to share answers. Her eyes darted from side to side, quickly evading Nissa's gaze. Now, however, wasn't the time or place to be annoyed, so the elven woman had no choice but to contain her usual mannerisms in the presence of the nervous medical assistant. "You... You're the one who came in with the unconscious patient... Emmara Tandris?"

"Correct." Nissa responded simply with a nod as she eased carefully on the edge of her seat.

"I-If you don't mind me asking... what is your relation to the patient?" The girl asked, fidgeting slightly and holding up her clipboard like it were shield. What did that make Nissa, then, if not the monster she intended to defend herself from? Maybe her expression was a lot more harsh than what she had thought in the presence of the human. Nissa opened her mouth to speak- words sharp and phrases barbed at the ready- before shutting it. What _was_ she to Emmara, anyway? Had Emmara not gone and done something so foolish and shocking, then maybe...

"I'm Miss Tandris' fiance. We're... newly engaged." Nissa explained, her gaze cast downward. Even in such a situation, simply saying those words brought a warm feeling to Nissa's heart. There wasn't a doubt in her mind Emmara, all smiles and kindness, would have said yes had she actually gone and proposed instead of putting it off.

"No matter what it is you have to tell me... no matter who you really are... you know what my answer is going to be, if... if you love me as much as I love you." Nissa recalled Emmara saying before she had left her the first time.

"Oh... congratulations!" The nurse stammered, forcing a smile as she poked her head over her clipboard.

"I doubt you came here just for that." Nissa muttered, watching as the human girl retreated back behind her clipboard shield the moment her words sliced through the air. "How is she? What's wrong with Emmara?" Maybe it was because she had asked with such concerned earnest, but the girl seemed to let her guard down a little before she answered- although her expression was nothing short of morose.

"I'm sorry... we're unable to ascertain why it is this has happened, but Miss Tandris seems to have slipped into a coma. Everything we have tried up until this point has failed to wake her." She apologized, bowing her head slightly. "If you don't mind, are there any medications she currently takes? I can't guarantee for sure, but it might possibly help us to know."

"She takes something for her anxiety, but I don't know the name." Nissa answered. "She's been taking it for years, though, it wouldn't make much sense for something like _this_ to happen now..."

"A-ah... well... thank you anyway." The nurse said with a slight, pitying smile that Nissa didn't bother to catch. "We'll keep you updated if there are any changes." She remained standing before Nissa for a short while longer, expecting an answer that never came, before sighing lightly and beginning to turn to leave.

"U-Um..." Much to Nissa's surprise as she looked back up, the human nurse had turned back around, a slight look of determination in her features. It was enough, at least, to keep Nissa's attention. "Do you need anything- water, coffee? You've... been out here for a really long time. Everyone else has been, well, a little too afraid to ask- I'm ashamed to say..." She chuckled nervously, shoes scraping against the tile. It took Nissa a moment to realize she wasn't just shuffling but was, in fact, re-approaching her. But, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed.

"Afraid, was it...?" Nissa lightly laughed back before shaking her head. "No, I'm alright. If I need something I can get it myself."

"O-oh..." The nurse responded, sounding a bit dejected, before speaking up again.

"You're really brave... if you don't mind me saying." Her words were full of warmth and admiration. "I remember when my grandma was taken to the hospital when she had a heart attack I was all tears and no composure. I-I mean, you do seem worried about your fiance, but you're so composed, even now... It's really admirable."

"If you could get inside my head, you'd know I was the farthest thing from composed." Nissa shook her head and shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to keeping everything inside."

"I think that's really cool, I wish I was like that. All the other nurses always tease me because I'm no good at keeping things inside or to myself. They always tease me, saying I have no filter..." The girl smiled warmly, the clipboard she had once used to shield herself now held down near her waist. "Well, I'll try to keep you up to date on how your fiance is doing."

"Wait!" Nissa found herself saying as the girl began to turn to leave. She jumped slightly before turning around, looking surprised. "...What's your name? In case I do need something and need someone specific to call. Frankly I'd rather not lower myself to ask anyone else here for assistance." The girl gave her a quizzical look, probably a little stumped by Nissa's last slur of a comment, before her expression softened and she answered.

"My name's Narset. U-Um..."

"Nissa." Nissa responded with her own name, figuring the girl was stuck on how exactly to ask. "Nissa Revane."

After exchanging a few more, short pleasantries, Narset was called away, leaving Nissa to once again sit all by herself in the waiting room. Now that she had time to sit and think to herself, she couldn't help but notice that her short exchange with the young nurse had been the first time in what seemed like an eternity where she had such a pleasant conversation with a human.

But all those pleasant feelings were burned away as someone leaned over her from behind, resting a firm hand on her shoulder.

"How unfortunate, for such a thing to befall your cute, innocent girlfriend. I wonder, though, what would cause such a soft-spoken person like her to want to throw herself from the roof, huh?" Nissa rose and tore herself from the intruder's grasp, turning sharply to come to find Baltrice sneering back at her. "A lover's spat gone ugly perhaps?"

"You..." Nissa growled. "I had a sinking feeling you people were behind this, even though I refused to believe it. You're all a bunch of lying snakes, Bolas especially! He promised he'd do nothing to Emmara! I shouldn't have trusted any of you..."

"So quick to aim your anger at other people when it really should be directed more inward. So typical of an elf." Baltrice spoke mockingly with a toss of her half-shaven hair.

"What are you blathering on about?" Nissa snapped, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the deviant of a girl. "And where is Bolas? Seems rather cowardice of him to just send his filthy human lackey to come and torment me."

"Don't take my master's absence for him actually fearing someone as _pitiful_ and _pathetic_ as you. Our time of action is upon us, so Bolas is a bit too busy to deal with traitors like you himself." Baltrice explained in an acidic tone, circling around so that she was standing on the other side of the room behind Nissa, the leather of her combat boots squelching with each slow step. Nissa was forced to turn around as well, once following the girl with her eyes was no longer possible.

"Traitor? I've been nothing but loyal- framing that Exava girl just like you wanted, who you practically mind-raped. If anything you people are the ones who betrayed me, doing... whatever you did to Emmara!" Nissa snarled.

"You intended to tell little miss Tandris everything. As heartfelt as opening up to her would have been, it would have put our operation in a lot of danger. And we can't take any risks this close to our goal, so we... did away with her before you had the chance to spill your guts." Baltrice explained, seeming all too giddy about every word she said. "And also, for that, we dismiss you, your contract with Bolas and his promise to keep Emmara out of harms way null and void- like intended."

" _Like intended_?" Nissa's eyes widened as the anger building inside of her began to rise. She clenched her fists so hard it stung, but she dared not un-clench them. "You mean to tell me you meant to do this from the very beginning!?"

"Emmara, unfortunately, stood in our way of our plans. And thus, she shall be the first to fall- to make way for our new age- our victory." Baltrice grinned as she approached Nissa who shrunk back slightly as the younger girl invaded her space. "Not that I have to share in any of the specifics with you, but that cute, diligent little nurse you were speaking to and everyone else on staff at this hospital here won't be able to wake Emmara. Her sleep is as good as permanent- hers... and soon to be everyone elses."

"What... do you mean by that?"

"Like I said, I don't have to tell you anything. We're no longer working together, so I don't need to keep you in the loop. I just get to watch as you stand there, squirming in apprehension, unable to do a thing to help Emmara or stop any of us." Baltrice laughed, sounding like she was enjoying herself a bit too much.

"You forget I already know a whole lot about you people. What's to stop me from telling everyone about you now that I'm no longer under that smart-ass dragon's command, huh?" Nissa growled threateningly.

"Heh, just because you no longer work for him doesn't mean he still doesn't control you. Once you're his, you'll remain his, either among his ranks or against them." Baltrice smirked, not the least bit taken aback by Nissa's words. She, instead, continued to approach Nissa and force her backward. "If you breath a word of this to anyone- anyone at all- your dear 'fiance's' slumber will become nothing but a tragic, empty flatline. And not even the power of Bolas or any mage will bring her back then."

Nissa stumbled back, tripped up by and landing back into the chair she had once been sitting in. For the first time in a very, very long time she felt it: the crushing sense of complete and utter defeat. Baltrice laughed, amused, looking down at Nissa in a manner that, in any normal situation, would have pissed the elf off. Now, it just made her feel all the smaller.

"Buuut, if you want someone to blame, other than yourself, I suppose you can thank Liliana..." Baltrice added, looking impossibly more enthusiastic. "She, too, went against Bolas' orders and voided our little deal with her, so it was decided that each of her friends would suffer. So, even if you didn't try and rat us out to your girlfriend, she still would have been on the chopping block eventually."

* * *

Liliana awoke to the sound of someone lightly rapping at her front door. She lifted her head up from the couch in her living room where she had collapsed almost immediately once she had arrived home, the stress about what had befallen Emmara far outweighing the stress of finals. She had more or less drifted through the rest of the day in a dream- or maybe it was more fitting to call it a nightmare- state, unable to focus on anything but her own crippling fears. Despite how careful she had been, it seemed Bolas had begun to make good on his promise to punish her, and she had nowhere or no one to turn to.

The knocking came again, a little louder this time, when she didn't immediately answer. She looked around, gaining her bearings. The last traces of sunlight were just barely lighting up the sky outside, so it seemed that she hadn't slept for very long, despite how heavy her body felt and how groggy she was. As exhausted as she was, she had half the mind to let whoever was outside go on knocking until they gave up- that was, until they called her from the other side of the door.

"Liliana? Are you in there? It's Jace..."

"Jace...?" She tiredly called back, immediately regretting it. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to see anyone, especially then. The last thing she wanted was to be among her friends when she knew, deep down, that no matter what she did, something awful would befall every last one of them and it was all her doing. But, now Jace knew she was home and probably wouldn't leave knowing she was inside. And, if not seeing her friends was the one thing she wanted to do the least, raising any amount of suspicion among any of them was a close second. "I'll... I'll be right there, just... give me a second."

Slowly she made her way over to the door flipping on lights on her trip to the entryway and trying to make herself look at least a little more presentable than someone who had flat-out passed out on her couch after an entire day of stressing out. After quickly running her fingers through her hair- freeing up the larger knots and providing herself with minimal grooming- and smoothing out her clothes, she finally opened the door inch by tiny inch.

"Hey." He said nervously, awkwardly raising his hand in greeting with the other shoved into the pocket of his sweatshirt.

"Hey..." Liliana responded back in kind, leaning on the half-opened door. "Sorry, if you came over because you were worried. I just have a lot on my mind right now, and I... didn't really feel like talking to anyone."

"Well, how about now?" Jace asked, taking a tiny step forward. "I mean... it's only me here. Gideon and Chandra weren't feeling up for it, so they stayed behind. They actually told me to leave you alone..." He paused, rubbing the back of his head before looking up at her nervously. "Should I have? I can go if you don't feel up for-"

"No! I-I mean, it's alright that you stopped by. Gideon and Chandra are treating this like they're stepping on eggshells, so it's pretty good you're thick-headed and do whatever comes to mind, for once." Liliana said with a slight smirk.

"Heh, ouch, was that a compliment or a dig?" Jace chuckled.

"It was the truth, Beleren. But in all honesty, I'm glad you came- just you. You, at least, know why Emmara and I were so close. I can talk to you about it, at least..."

"Well, we don't have to if you don't want!" Jace added clumsily. "I figure it's a real touchy subject- anyone trying to commit suicide is. And besides, I..." He paused for a moment, gaze now down on his shoes as they scraped against the ground. "I'd rather see you smiling... If you don't want me to shove my nose where it doesn't belong I won't pry, but these days something just seems... off about you. I guess I can't help but worry, being your friend and all."

"Hmm, maybe 'thick-headed' wasn't the right choice of words..." Liliana mumbled to herself, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing!" She quickly dismissed. "Anyhow, why don't you come out of the cold? I don't think you came here to just talk to me on my doorstep, and I have the heat on so even if you're not wasting my _time_ by showing up unannounced like this, you _are_ wasting energy."

"Actually, I was hoping we could go somewhere else..." Jace offered up. The thought of being alone with Liliana in her apartment- no one to walk in on them or interrupt them- made his stomach do flips. He wasn't sure about her- a quiet mind and an equally difficult-to-read exterior- but with each passing day, no matter how often he called her his "friend" or tried to set aide his own feelings, he felt as if he were falling for her more and more. But, the last thing he wanted was to force his feelings onto her, especially then, so maybe a change in scenery would at least keep his urges in check. "The diner, for instance, for pie?"

"Suggesting we go out for pie out of the blue? Gideon has finally started to rub off on you, has he?" Liliana laughed.

"I've only been his roommate for half the school year and he's already got me addicted to pie." Jace chuckled. "Though I guess he did give me fair warning."

"So... here you are, asking me to come get pie with you... alone." Liliana spoke thoughtfully, but through a smirk that sent a shiver up Jace's spine. "Could you be asking me out on a date, Mister Beleren?"

"W-what!? I mean... I guess it does seem that way..." Jace's gaze shifted nervously about while he stumbled over his words. "I-I just figured you'd- I don't know- need some company after what happened today and all... It's like Gideon says sometimes, 'nothing makes a bad day better like a slice of pie'."

"Jeeze, calm down there turbo." Liliana chortled lightly. "I think I _could_ use a slice or two, so whether or not this is a date I guess I'll come along- even though, if you want my opinion, this is _totally_ a date."

"H-hey!"

"I'll be right out, I just need to grab a jacket." Liliana grinned and shut the door before Jace could continue to protest about just what exactly their outing was. However, as she walked over to her closet near the door her smile began to fade. By the time she had picked out a jacket to wear she was bitterly frowning and holding the thick cloth against herself. If Jace were less chivalrous and were to peer into the apartment with his mind's eye, there was no doubt in Liliana's mind he would be able to, at least, sense her insecurity.

"Even now I'm still wearing a mask around him..." She thought aloud. "What's the point, now, in letting him get so close? There's too many secrets... too many lies. What's the point in keeping up my charade now?" She looked to the opposite wall of the hall where she had a mirror mounted. Her expression gazed back at her, nothing but guilt written on her face. That was how Liliana truly felt. She could laugh and joke and snark and smile around Jace all she wanted- continue to be the girl he had gotten to know and thought that she was. Continuing to do so now would only put him in danger, but it had become so second nature for her to put up walls and continue to act. But there, alone, there was nothing to hide. The guilt she had building up inside was free to bubble to the surface.

"I can't go on like this..." She told herself as she buried her face into the jacket she still held tight against her body. "Not after what happened today."

 _That,_ she had convinced herself, had been her punishment for continuing to act like nothing was wrong- for covering up the danger she had put her close friends in with smiles and false assurances. It had to stop, before something awful happened to another one of her companions.

"Wow, that took a while- did you get lost?" Jace joked as Liliana stepped out of her apartment, now clad in something more appropriate for the chill outside- a black jacket that draped down to her hips, black fur poking out from the high collar and the hem. It seemed a little too fancy for just taking a swing by the town diner for pie, but it was also the warmest thing Liliana owned

"A lady can't be rushed, Jace." Liliana smirked as she pushed her way past him. He followed her with his eyes at first, almost immediately catching that there was something... different about her. Even though she'd only been gone a minute or two, something had clearly changed- maybe not in her physical appearance. There was a certain air about her, like someone who had just resolved a huge problem. It wasn't something he could just chalk up to the fading light outside, but as much as it was a matter Jace wanted to press he held his tongue and followed behind her, joining her at her side once they reached the bottom of the stairs.

The trip there was pleasant, although both parties could tell the other was forcing it. They talked about nothing all that important or meaningful, just small talk that quickly veered off in another direction whenever a topic that would bother the other came up- the maze running, the guilds, Emmara. The smiles were fake and the laughter was forced and they both knew it- and both of them knew the other knew it with each time their fingers accidentally brushed against one another or when they accidentally bumped shoulders, pulling away as if they had burned each other and apologizing like it, too. The tension was so thick, it threatened to drown them.

When they finally reached the diner, the both of them were quiet- having run out of things to say that didn't bring up a topic that one or both of them weren't prepared to bring up at that moment. They were quiet as they were seated and quiet as they hid behind their menus. They wound up speaking to the waitress more than they spoke to one another. It was only when their drinks arrived- just water for Jace and an extra-strong coffee for Liliana- and they had grown tired of busying themselves stirring the liquid around in their cups with their straws that they grew tired of the silence.

"Emmara... I wonder what would have driven her to... do something like that..." Jace wondered aloud, eyes focused on the table. "She seemed fine when I saw her this morning... but I guess that's how these sorts of things happen. Whenever you talk to people whose friends committed or tried to commit suicide they always bring up how they didn't see it coming and how they couldn't have imagined what drove them to it. I guess this case isn't any different."

"That's... where you're wrong, Jace." Liliana spoke in a voice hardly louder than a whisper as she clutched her glass in her hands. "This case _is_ different! This... wasn't just Emmara trying to kill herself. I know... because it's my fault. It's all... all my fault."

"Liliana, stop, you can't go blaming yourself for something that you didn't-"

"Please, Jace, just stop. Please stop being so nice to me, stop going out of your way to try and cheer me up and make me happy! I'm not worth it- _I know I'm not_." Liliana hissed. "I just... wished you'd known from the start, just how rotten I am. Maybe then you wouldn't be..."

"I don't care!" Jace suddenly exclaimed, causing Liliana to jump. "Whatever you're going on about, I don't care. No matter what it is, my feelings aren't going to change. Even if you never feel the same, Liliana, I'm always going to love you." He paused, faltering a bit as the confidence he'd begun with began to wane. "I bet it seems really weird, huh... loving a girl who doesn't love me back. I bet it's even weirder that I'm okay with it. Just so long as you're here... it doesn't matter how you feel about me."

"Jace..." Liliana muttered, unable to stop tears as they began to build up in her eyes. "You're such an idiot..."

"Ah! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that! I don't want to force my feelings on you, I just-" Jace began to apologize as Liliana wiped at her eyes. "I just want you to know I care for you and I'll be there for you no matter what!"

"Is that... a promise?" Liliana asked, still rubbing at her eyes.

"What?"

"No matter what happens, will you be able to still say all that romantic bullshit to me?" She questioned, looking back at him with watery eyes. "Even if I'm a complete monster, will you be able to go on about how you love me, and that you'll always be there for me?"

"..." Jace stared back at her in shocked silence. It was rare to see Liliana like this- cheeks flushed and eyes brimming with tears. These things were genuine: the tremble in her lips, the tiny, muted sobs, the sad- almost desperate- look in her eyes. This was Liliana. Slowly, he gave her a nod, determination in his eyes. "I promise. No matter what, my feelings aren't going to change."

"Then..." Liliana mumbled. "Will you go to the dance with me?"

"W-What!?" A blush appeared on Jace's cheeks as he leaned over the table.

"I'll tell you everything then. It'll give me some time to gather up my nerves and the things I need to tell you. There's so many things you don't know..." Liliana lowered her head, almost in shame.

"Y... Yes. I'll go with you. I'd... I'd be delighted!" Jace spoke, unable to hold back a smile. Liliana couldn't help but smile back before staring down at her coffee, looking down at her reflection in the brown liquid. She hoped, after it was all said and done, that Jace could smile at her the same way once she told him all of her sins- once he got to know the real Liliana Vess.

* * *

Avacyn couldn't help but feel the slight sense of unease as she traveled down the dark corridors of the school. The incident with Emmara, the school nurse, hardly seemed like a simple case of someone trying to commit suicide. Adding to that was the fact that she and fallen into a coma, according to the Ravnica City Hospital staff. Something about it seemed wrong, but she dared not open her mouth and voice her suspicion. They were too close to the end game to suddenly become concerned about the Selesnya guild leader's current state of affairs. It was unfortunate and unforeseen, but it was just one, isolated case. Maybe she was simply being paranoid. Maybe...

"Sir, I'm coming in." She called once she'd arrived at the doors to the dean's office and had given the wood a few, light raps with her knuckles. Opening the door she found Sorin standing by one of the windows, looking down at the moon-lit campus below. Even though he was especially good at masking his own expressions, after thousands of years of standing beside him, Avacyn found him especially easy to read. And in that moment, basking in the glow of the moon, she could tell he was upset.

"Avacyn..." He greeted, turning to her and giving his angelic daughter a slight nod.

"I..." She began, words pertaining to more important matters dancing on her tongue before she shook her head. There was something she had to get off of her chest first, at least. "I'm sorry that there was nothing I could do to save Miss Tandris. I should have foreseen it and done something. As the guardian angel of Ravnica, I should have-" She looked up from the floor where he gaze had settled to find Sorin had approached her. Her words totally escaped her as he reached out, running his long, slender fingers through her silvery hair.

"Maybe there are simply things even you cannot accomplish, Avacyn. In any case, it's not me you should be apologizing to, if you really want to apologize to someone." He spoke in an even, unmoved tone. "There are other people who were far more inconvenienced by what happened with Miss Tandris today than I."

"Sir..." She nodded her head in agreement, unable to keep herself from feeling a bitter, disgusted feeling directed at herself at the mention that there were things that she couldn't do. She watched as he pulled away from her and began to return to the space he had once occupied by the window, feeling helpless.

"I assume you bring news from Selesnya, then?" He asked her as he drifted away from her. "Have they come to a decision."

"... Yes, sir, they have." She nodded, following after him slowly. "The members of Selesnya have chosen to elect Garruk Wildspeaker, of the night class, to lead them in Emmara Tandris' absence."

"A night class student?" Sorin stopped and turned to Avacyn, raising an eyebrow. "It isn't against the rules for a night class student to take up the position of guild leader, albeit it's certainly _unheard of_. It just seems out of place for a guild like Selesnya to elect someone from the night class- especially someone like Mister Wildspeaker."

"I feel similarly." Avacyn agreed. "But it isn't our place to question the decisions the guilds make. We can only trust they have the guild and school's best interests in mind. Maybe there's simply a side of Mister Wildspeaker we're not seeing."

"That or Selesnya has been driven to make a rash decision with the running of the maze soon to be upon them. Maybe they saw fit to elect someone with a little more of a brutish streak." Sorin offered up.

"Two guilds having to name new guild leaders- and so close to one another." Avacyn sighed as Sorin turned away from her once again. "Such chaos right before a major event... with Ral Zarek leading Izzet and Garruk Wildspeaker leading Selesnya, things are shaping up to be a lot different than we had hoped."

"And... no word from Jace if he even plans to run?" Sorin asked.

"He seems unmotivated to make a decision." Avacyn shook her head. "But, at the very least, Nicol Bolas has yet to sink his claws into him."

"Heh, at least we have that one piece of good news." Sorin laughed bitterly. "There isn't a doubt in my mind Nicol Bolas is planning something with the Infinite Consortium, but they haven't seemed to have made a move yet. With any luck, things will stay that way." He paused, looking out at the dark campus outside thoughtfully.

"...Or have they begun to move already...?"

* * *

"Sorry to drop in on you like this." Tezzeret couldn't help but roll his eyes as his guest insincerely apologized for dropping by. He knew very well she wasn't sorry, and she'd probably known he wouldn't have been able to shew her away when she showed up at his door like she'd somehow accidentally wound up in Favarial, a good hour's drive away from the Ravnica Academy campus. The only reason he lived so far away from work was so that he wouldn't be bothered when he was home- not that it kept Baltrice away. Once again, she used the distance of the trip she would have to take if he sent her away to her advantage. Not that she, at least, was a bother, he just knew she wasn't sorry about it and was a little upset she'd cut class to visit.

"It's alright, I just wish you'd call me or something before you show up. That's the reason I gave you my number, if you recall." Tezzeret sighed as he pulled two wine glasses from one cabinet and a half-drunken bottle of wine from another. "I can't say I was exactly prepared for company."

"It's alright, you don't need to put on airs for me." Baltrice called from the living room. "I like things better that way."

Tezzeret returned with wine to find his young companion had already sprawled herself out on his couch, her boots kicked off into different directions of the room. Her jacket had also been taken off, thrown onto the floor where Tezzeret nearly stepped on it.

"Already making yourself at home, eh?" He groaned as he carefully pushed her jacket to the side with his foot and made his way over to the couch. Displacing pillows and cushions, Baltrice scrambled into a sitting position to make room for him, patting the space right next to her on the couch as if he weren't going to sit there in the first place.

"What can I say, your home is my home." She shrugged, taking a glass of wine from him the moment he sat down and took a greedy sip of it. It was such a big, rushed gulp, Tezzeret wondered if she'd even tasted it. "You're not helping, offering me alcohol."

"This just ensures you wont be able to leave until morning. No midnight errands for Bolas for you to run." Tezzeret explained himself, taking a much smaller sip of his own drink. "I don't intend to share you tonight."

"Well aren't you romantic... or creepy, or whatever, I don't care." Baltrice smirked, sliding closer to him before leaning to her side and resting her head on his lap. "I've already finished all of Bolas' little tasks, so he shouldn't require me anymore tonight. That's why I ditched classes and came over in the first place. I hate doing all these tasks for that stupid dragon, they exhaust me and leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'd rather end my day on a good note after all that."

Tezzeret looked down at her as she nuzzled her face against her lap, unable to hide the red tint now present in his cheeks. He reached down, running his etherium fingers of his one, false hand through her hair and listened to her moan lightly in approval. As he did so, he leaned down, moving to press his lips against the exposed skin of the nape of her neck before she turned over to look up at him. She smirked, as if she'd done so just to catch him off guard.

"Did you want something?" She asked with a sneer. "A kiss, maybe?"

"I-I-" Tezzeret began to at least attempt to say before Baltrice reached up and pressed a finger against his lips. He grumbled in discontent, a little bothered she had moved to silence him.

"Later. I have something to ask you first- the other reason I came here." She said as she sat up, but positioned herself so that she was straddling his legs and facing him. All the while she kept her finger pressed to his lips, refusing to let him speak. Tezzeret obeyed grudgingly, catching a whiff of gasoline and leather on the girl's hand- some of the usual smells that clung to her. "The end-of-the-year dance... would you be at all interested in accompanying me?"

"You know, you asked me about the last dance, too. The one where we couldn't even attend because Bolas had us working that night?" Tezzeret recalled, but also bringing it up to warn her not to get her hopes up. Nicol Bolas did have a way of asking things of them at the most inconvenient times.

"I know, total cock block... But, this time I'll make sure we won't be called away. The time for us to truly mobilize is drawing closer. Soon, we won't be able to enjoy moments of peace like this, so I think we should take life by the balls while we can, before this whole chaos with the maze consumes all of our time." Baltrice told him, moving her finger from his lips slowly down to his chin. "So? What do you say, will you come with me?"

"I don't know... maybe, we'll see-"

"Your lady is very impatient, Tezzeret." Baltrice playfully warned him. "She'll only accept 'yes' or 'no' answers tonight."

"Well then, I guess you really leave me no choice." Tezzeret chuckled.

"Oh, on the contrary, Tezz, you have options." Baltrice sneered before she leaned in, nibbling at his neck. Tezzeret's breath hitched involuntarily, and he heard her as she chuckled mischievously. "Your choices are 'yes' and ' _hell yes_ '."


	30. The Night to Remember

The final night of the year brought with it a thick blanket of snow and a storm that should have deterred students from trudging through the drifts, but by some strange miracle the campus building was abuzz with activity for the dance. It must have been an important event for everyone, Jace thought, as he finally made it into the building through the main entrance. The black pants he wore were white up to his calves with snow and he immediately went about trying to dust himself off before it started to melt. A few other groups of people passed him by, squealing about how cold it was, before Jace was left alone in the main entrance. All was quiet save for the sound of the wind whipping about behind him as the doors closed and the distant sound of bass thumping, echoing from wherever the dance was being held.

He stared back at the entrance to the maze that had simply been roped off in a feeble attempt to keep students from venturing down into the depths. Already, there had been cases where people had tried to sneak into the maze- all failed attempts seeing as, for as simplistic as a rope barrier was, the security around the main entrance had been considerably beefed up. Jace had no intention to try and explore the maze all on his own, but still he approached the staircase that reached downward into the darkened pit. Looking down into the corridor that reached down beneath the school, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety and the pull of temptation.

What _would_ happen if he just didn't run at all, he thought. Did he have to personally retrieve whatever was in the maze to release it? The decision he had made- but not necessarily made at all public- not too long ago began to lie heavy on his conscious. More or less it was his- or at least Jace-Beleren-at-one-point-in-time's fault that this whole mess had started in the first place. Could he really sit it out and just watch as people ran the maze without him? To decide not to even bother running was beginning to seem... selfish.

"Jace!" A voice calling him pulled him out of his thoughts and away from the maze entrance. He turned to find Liliana standing not to far away from him, a sleepy smile on her face. She wore a black dress adorned with gold trim and patterns that swirled and snaked about the fabric like vines. The dress reached the floor, a visible slit up one side that reached up to her thigh through which Jace could make out black, high-healed boots that went up almost to her knee. Her hair had been curled but otherwise allowed to loosely hang as usual, with a dark purple rose woven into her long, black locks. She looked stunning- much more than usual- but Jace dared not say so, even though his mouth was open and ready to expel words of praise.

"Liliana... h-hey!" He greeted, walking over to her. "Sorry if I made you wait! The storm outside had me moving at a crawl."

"It's alright, just got here myself." She assured him as she took a few steps until the two of them were face-to-face. "It looks like everyone braved the snow to come here. It seems really silly, just for a dance. Then again, I guess it's better than ringing in the new year alone in a dorm room."

"Yeah, I bet it would be pretty lonely..."

"Oh trust me, I know from experience that it is." Liliana chuckled under her breath as she reached up and began fixing something onto Jaces chest.

"U-Um.."

"There." She said proudly, stepping back. She had fastened a rose similar to the one she had in her hair to the lapel of Jace's suit. "Now, at least, we match a little."

"Heh, it kind of makes us seem like an actual couple, doesn't it?" Jace laughed lightly. Liliana chucked along with him, although a bit darkly as she lowered her gaze down onto the floor.

"Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it...?" She sighed.

"Liliana, are you-?"

"Hey, look who finally decided to show up!" The both of them snapped to attention and turned to find Gideon striding into the main entrance hall, followed by Avacyn who held her hand up in greeting, but not much else. Gideon wore a regular back suit- probably the same one he'd worn the dance before- and a red tie more than likely meant to match whatever Chandra was wearing- wherever she was. Avacyn, on the other hand, surprisingly wore a form sitting _white_ dress that draped down to her knees and fanned out slightly, a single strap over one of her shoulders. A gold shawl was wrapped loosely around her form, made of a light, transparent fabric. Seeing Avacyn dressed in anything but black took both Jace and Liliana by surprise, and at first they hardly even recognized her.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise." Liliana smirked, her more demure demeanor vanishing. "Playing the field, are we Gideon? Is one girl not enough for you? Though I guess I can't criticize your taste- Avacyn _is_ quite the catch."

"What are you- _no_!" Gideon protested, looking down at Avacyn who looked back up at him like she had no idea what Liliana was implying. "Chandra hasn't shown up yet! I just happened to run into Avacyn! I'd never do something like that with her- er, no offense..." Avacyn simply shrugged, not looking the least bit offended by Gideon's rather overzealous denial there was anything between them.

"I hope she isn't camping out back at the dorms because of the snow after she asked you to the dance." Liliana rolled her eyes. "Though I wouldn't put it past her to do something like that. I can just see it now: 'It's just a stupid dance, anyway. Don't get so hung up about it!'"

"She's coming. She texted me about an hour ago that she was." Gideon sighed, pausing to take his phone out of his pocket to check to see if Chandra had called. "She's a little selfish, I'll admit that, but not _that_ selfish."

"Well, no use standing around waiting for her here." Liliana chuckled as she began to walk in the direction of where the dance was being held, Jace following behind. "I mean you can, Gideon, but we're not her boyfriend, so we have no obligation."

"Well I'm not going to stand around awkwardly watching you guys have your fun. I'll wait here a little while before I go back the the dorms and drag her back here myself- even if she's in her pajamas." Gideon grumbled.

"What about you, Avacyn, are you going back to the dance?" Jace asked. The white-haired girl, who had been peering down the hallway opposite the dance, turned to him, not looking entirely eager to return.

"I'm not so certain. There are some matters that I need to attend to for my father." She sighed. "My time would be otherwise wasted going to the dance."

"Oh, come on, you big spoil sport." Liliana sighed as she walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "You've hardly hung out with any of us since the incident with Niv-Mizzet. Don't you think you should take a bit of a break every once in a while." Avacyn looked at the floor and turned away, slipping out of Liliana's grasp.

"If time allows, I might join you. I think you forget what my role is here... and recently I feel as if I have lost my way as well." She spoke, sounding surprisingly troubled. "After what happened with Niv-Mizzet and what happened to Emmara Tandris, I've started to realized I've been...shirking my duties I used to carry out here. Maybe if I hadn't been so caught up in my own matters, I could have saved the both of them..."

"A-Avacyn-" Jace began to protest. He took a few steps forward in protest, but she responded in kind, taking an equal amount of steps back.

"Like I said before, I'll be more than happy to join you if I have time. The safety of the students and faculty here is my first priority... or at least, it should be. I refuse to have another issue like the ones we've seen recently on our hands again." Avacyn explained in an exhausted fashion. "The _Guardian Angel of Ravnica_... shouldn't act so freely."

"If this is something your dad said, then-" Liliana began to say, but Avacyn cut her off as well, turning her back to her friends.

"This is a decision I've made myself." She spoke sternly. The three behind her remained silent, and she stood her ground, as if waiting the next wave of protests.

"Well... we'll be waiting for you, if you plan on showing up." Jace finally said. Liliana and Gideon looked to him, as if to silently speak against what he had said, but he continued on. "We're your friends, Avacyn, regardless of whether or not you have the time to be present. You get done what you need to get done. I bet you'll be doing all of us some good behind the scenes."

Avacyn looked over her shoulder to him, a shocking amount of emotion in her usually empty eyes.

"Thank you, Jace." She spoke with a nod before steadily walking away into the dark hallway.

"Poor Avacyn..." Gideon sighed. "It makes you wonder if _we're_ acting too freely, especially since we sort of know what's going on. Maybe if we did, she wouldn't be so stressed out."

"What, do you want to be the guardian angel of the guardian angel?" Liliana snorted before shaking her head, dismissing her former comment. "Though I guess there are things we might be able to do in order to help her- not sure what those things are, but I see your point."

"Well, you two head back to the dance- I'll wait here for Chandra." Gideon said. "We'll focus on what we can do for Avacyn tomorrow. Think of it as a new year's resolution."

"Alright, call us if you need help dragging her out of her dorm room- if it comes to that." Liliana said in parting, taking Jace's hand. He opened his mouth to protest before closing it almost immediately after, allowing himself to be pulled.

"Heh, you two have fun. Don't get too crazy in there." Gideon chuckled before going back to looking at his phone.

"...Liliana, about tonight-" Jace started to ask once they were a considerable ways down the hall. Liliana came to a halt and looked back at him with a look that made him freeze and sent a shiver up his spine.

"Don't worry, I still plan on telling you everything- I've made up my mind about that." She assured him. "Let's just... enjoy ourselves for now until then. I want to spend the rest of this year, at least, with you still thinking of me the same way you always have had."

Jace looked down at their hands- clasped, joining the two of them together. He had to admit, a part of himself was simply happy that Liliana had asked him to the dance at all. A more selfish part of him wondered what could it hurt, dancing the night away with the girl who was so close enough to touch and yet so very, very far away? Just for one night, he wanted to pretend the two of them were something more than Liliana insisted they are- more than what Jace had given up to them being. Just once, before whatever bombshell Liliana had to drop on him went off, he wanted to feel like they were a _couple_ and not just a couple of friends.

"Sure..." He chuckled, blushing slightly. "Let's get going."

* * *

Avacyn stood outside her father's office, unable to hold back a heavy sigh. The role she had once held with pride had begin to grow heavy. For once, it had been a pain to turn her friends down- for once, she felt frustrated that she to resign herself to continue her duties. She'd even gotten dressed up, but for what? The off chance she'd have time to join her companions at the dance? She shouldn't have even bothered. She shouldn't have allowed herself to grow so close.

She took a long, preparatory breath, trying her best to wipe the bothered look off of her face before she opened the office doors and strode in. The last thing she wanted to do was act out in any way in front of her father. To him, at least, she wanted to remain the dedicated angel he had created all those years ago and not the flake she felt she had become. To her friends she could allow herself to show emotions and act in a more relaxed fashion, but before Sorin, she wanted to act as if nothing had changed.

"Avacyn?" Sorin looked up from his desk, looking surprised she had even come at all. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter, sir." She shook her head. "I'm just here to see if there is anything you might need taking care of."

"Well, you can start by turning back around and returning to the dance." He responded cooly.

"S... sir?" Avacyn questioned, faltering just a small bit.

"You're certainly dressed for the part- I'm honestly shocked to see you here. I dismissed you this afternoon, didn't I?" Sorin cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes, but..." Avacyn bit her lip, feeling her emotionless mask slipping- even though originally it hadn't been a mask at all. Such things, originally, wouldn't have bothered her. Why was her more serious face something that she had to force now? "Surely there must be something you need taken care of! We can't afford to have another incident- not this close to the maze-running! I... I can't allow anything like that to happen a third time, not as a guardian angel..."

She watched in surprise as Sorin rose from his seat, wordlessly approaching her. Her gaze sank to the ground as she listened to his footsteps growing closer.

"I'm sorry... I spoke out of turn." She muttered. "But I can't just sit back and let things happen any more than I already have. Please... there must be something..."

"If you want an order, I've already given one to you." Sorin spoke in a cold tone, reaching up and grasping his angelic-daughter's chin and coaxing her to raise her head and face him. "There's nothing I need done at this time that I can't get done myself, so you can return to the dance."

"But..." Avacyn attempted to protest, unable to summon the words. She could only frown and ball her hands into fists in frustration.

"Avacyn... Do you you know why it is I had you enroll at the academy?" Sorin asked seriously.

"I... I never really considered it, sir. I simply figured it was all according to your plans." She admitted. "Was I wrong in thinking so?"

"My plans for retrieving what's within the maze or keeping order at this school, no. I wouldn't even call them plans... more like desires." He went on to explain, moving his hand so that he cradled Avacyn's cheek in an open hand, strands of her white hair getting caught in his fingers. "You've served me and this plane so diligently for thousands of years... I simply desired that you live a normal life. You deserve that much, even for a short while."

"But... The other Avacyn... the one you left on Innistrad to guard the plane... If I'm a copy of her, who was able to do much for your home plane, then I should be able to..." Avacyn attempted to protest. "Shouldn't I be more like _her_!?"

"You have her likeness and her name, but you need to understand: you've lived a different life than her, have experienced different things than her. Maybe at one time, you were identical, but that was only for a short while." Sorin told her. "You, Avacyn, are your own person. You shouldn't feel burdened to be so much like the original, and should seek to find your own path now, as we enter a new age here on Ravnica."

"Sir..."

"And I like it much more when you refer to me as 'father'. I feel much more the role with you than with the original Avacyn. She was my creation, but you..." He paused, moving his hand once again to rest his hand firmly on her shoulder. She looked back at him, totally captivated, hanging on his every word. "You are my _daughter._ "

"Your... daughter...?" Avacyn parroted back. Feelings she had never felt before- at least not so intensely- swelled within her so violently they threatened to knock her off her feet. Her cheeks were warm and a hot lump had begun to grow in her throat. And Sorin watched as, for the first time, his daughter shed tears. She reacted to them like she had no idea what was going on, reaching up to catch one of the salty drops as they traveled down her cheek. She looked down at her hand, now moist from her tears, in shame before she hid her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what's come over me..." She muttered, words muffled by her hands.

"No need to apologize, Avacyn, just return to the dance- if I really do wind up needing you, I won't hesitate to call." Sorin chuckled. She looked up at him, smiling slightly through the tears.

"Thank you... father."

* * *

The sound of heavy breathing filled the otherwise silent metal-working classroom. It was so far from where the dance was being held that the din of the music didn't reach the dark room, and there was hardly even a fraction of a chance the two who occupied it would be interrupted. It wasn't so much a strategic choice so much as it was simply that one of them had they key to get into the room- this certainly hadn't been planned. A desire to be alone and a carnal desire for one another had simply driven them there.

"Tezzeret..." Baltrice sighed, satisfaction heavy in her voice as she looked up at the older man who was hunched over her. She laid back on one of the desks, her legs wrapped around his body and her dress hiked up and gathered around her waist.

"Bal... trice..." was all Tezzeret could think to answer back with, the haze of passion still clouding his thoughts. His one organic hand clutched at her hair while his etherium hand held her steady. His clothes were also in disarray- his suit and dress shirt unbuttoned, tie totally discarded and his pants gathered around his ankles.

"Heh..." She chuckled lightly, relaxing against the desk and slowly freeing her older lover and allowing her legs to hang limply over the edge of the desk. "So much for the dance, huh? We didn't even stay for very long..."

"Sorry... I should have expected something like this would happen..." Tezzeret apologized, face flushed. "Maybe I should have practiced a bit of... restraint."

"Nonsense... I would have rathered this than a stupid dance anyway." Baltrice grinned as she sat up so that she could plant a small kiss against his cheek. "I've always wanted to do it in a classroom anyway- scratch that off the ol' bucket list."

"Really, you haven't done this sort of thing in a classroom before?" Tezzeret asked, sounding unconvinced. "I guess I pegged you for more an exhibitionist."

"Shut up..." Baltrice smirked. "You should be glad you're the one I'm sharing this first-time experience with."

"I guess, since I wasn't your first lover, I should take what I can get, eh?" He responded sarcastically.

"I honestly wished you had been... I wish it had always been you." Baltrice's harsh exterior softened for a second as she spoke. "You don't know how many times I've wished I'd found you sooner. It honestly would have saved me a lot of grief."

"Sorry... I didn't mean to upset you-"

"I'm not upset, just disappointed in myself- now pull up your pants, you look like a fool standing there half naked." Baltrice teased. "Unless you want to... give it another go." She grinned, watching as Tezzeret acted in the usual way- surprised by her sexual advances like she hadn't acted that way before. He seemed to have two sides to him, she thought, although one side only seemed to show mid-coitus.

"No, no, once is enough for now. I don't think I have the stamina..." He muttered, reaching down and pulling his pants back on. Baltrice laughed to herself, watching him until he'd completely dressed himself before doing the same- pulling down her dress and retrieving her various accessories- as well as her underwear- from off the floor. A silence falling between them, she clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"You're going to hate me..."

"Baltrice...?" Tezzeret questioned, although he knew exactly where she was going and it showed in his voice.

"I know I said I wouldn't let Nicol Bolas have any bit of my time tonight... I guess I'm just his puppet until the end." She sighed, hardly seeming apologetic at all. "But, hey, at least we got to make sweet, passionate love first, right?" Tezzeret groaned slightly, not liking the tone she had while mention what they had just done.

"I'd rather have you for an entire night, and not just for a quick fuck before go off and do Bolas' bidding." He muttered, unable to hold back his frustration.

"Now, now, I'm not going to be gone all night. I'll try and finish up my work as quick as possible..." She reassured him as she reached out and ran a single finger down his chest. Tezzeret couldn't help but shiver slightly as her touch reached below his torso, her finger tracing over parts that were still freshly sensitive. "I'll return back to you, don't worry. And maybe by then you might... recover some of your stamina."

"Urg..." Tezzeret looked away in embarrassment, and Baltrice simply gave an amused chortle in response. "W-what does Bolas even have you doing this time of night?"

"Something he knows I'll go above and beyond doing- my expertise, I guess you could say." Baltrice sneered. "I'm to move to punish more of Liliana's little friends: namely Gideon Jura and Chandra Nalaar."

* * *

Dancing had turned to awkwardly shifting to the beat of the music and eventually became Jace and Liliana situated along one of the walls of the school's dance hall. They had tried to lose themselves in the merriment of the dance and, for a time, they genuinely had. But the tension of what was to come and the apprehension of what it could be slowly suffocated the mood until it died and left them standing side by side, staring out into the throng and wishing they were them- the happy and the unaware. Both of them had hoped that Gideon and Chandra would finally arrive and clear the air that had grown heavy around them, but neither of them had yet to show.

"Some dance, huh?" Liliana asked in exhausted sarcasm over the music.

"So you've said..." Jace chuckled. "...I'd say the last five or so times."

"Ha... sorry, I'm not exactly one for conversation right now." She sighed, shaking her head and looking down at the floor. "I'm afraid if I do speak, everything I want to tell you is going to come rushing out too soon."

"What, do you have a schedule?" Jace laughed, cocking an eyebrow. "What's the harm in doing things ahead of time?"

"Jace..." Liliana looked up at him, her eyes full of emotion that her words couldn't properly convey. "...I'm just biding my time, that's all. Let me procrastinate just a little longer... please." She looked back down at her boots, the toes of each of them meeting as she rubbed them against each other nervously.

"Fine, fine, I won't rush you." Jace said with a smile, looking back out towards the crowd.

Just then the music changed to one of a slower tempo that called the couples onto the dance floor and the rest away into the dimly lit corners of the room. Jace and Liliana looked to one another, the both of them ready to say something, but instead they nervously chuckled and looked back towards the crowd. I was what they wanted, but was it really the time? Was it really appropriate?

Jace, more than a little angry at himself and without looking away from the dance floor, slowly moved his hand along the wall, outstretching it towards Liliana who felt like she had been miles away from him all night. At the very least he wanted to reach out and touch her during the slow dance- just to know she was there with him as silent as she was and as distant as she seemed. Much to his surprise- and Liliana's surprise by the look of things once he sharply turned to look- his finger's brushed up against hers that had also been reaching out towards him. The two of them gasped, looking to one another but not daring to move their hands. It was just their fingers touching, but they looked and acted as if it had been a lot more than just that.

"U-um..." Jace spoke up, clearing his throat. "Do... you want to dance?"

"What's this, Mister Beleren, actually asking me if I want to dance with you?" Liliana smirked. "Well, if this isn't a pleasant change? Last I recall, you were more of a sort to just drag a woman onto the dance floor."

"Oh, come on, Liliana, that was..." Jace blushed, remembering the prior dance. He was about to say so, but really, it hadn't been that long ago at all. But it at least _felt_ like an eternity. "...D-do you want to dance, or don't you?"

"..." Liliana answered first with silence, looking down at her hands, then back up to Jace. "I guess... one last dance wouldn't hurt."

She allowed him to lead, eyes hardly wandering from his back as the two of them finally joined the other couples. He'd looked at her with such adoration when he asked her to dance, and she couldn't help but want to take that moment and lock it away. Would he be able to look at her the same way once he learned the truth? Would he be able to look at her at all?

"Liliana?"

"Mmn?" Liliana snapped back to reality, finding Jace looking back at her, hand still clasped around hers.

"Is... something wrong?" He asked, looking genuinely concerned. Liliana couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression she had allowed to cross her features to make him look back at her like that- like she was about to crumble and break before his very eyes.

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing..." She assured him as she reached out and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm just worried you'll step on my toes, is all."

"Hey!" Jace exclaimed, smiling. "I'll have you know I'm a competent dancer."

"Do you mean that, or do you mean you'll just read the mind of someone who actually _can_ dance?"

"Liliana, please, at least leave me with a scrap of pride left!" Jace muttered in an embarrassed voice. Liliana chuckled in response.

"Fine, fine. Lead on." She rolled her eyes, waiting patiently as Jace slowly rested his hands on her hips. He did it so gently, she could hardly feel his touch- or maybe that was his intention, to make up for having forced himself on her the dance before. Liliana remained silent, but wished that Jace would at least be a little more forward in his advances.

True to his word, Jace was a passable dancer, even though all they really did was sway from side to side and slowly drift around in a circle. It had a strange calming effect, coupled with the music, and for a moment Liliana couldn't help but give in, lowering her walls just enough to rest her head against Jace's shoulder.

"L-Liliana-"

"Shut up." Liliana cut him off, her words lacking bite as she spoke them. "Whatever it is, it can wait."

She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment despite herself. She wished things were different- imagined that, in that brief moment, that they were just normal students- no destiny to adhere to, no dark past to escape from or own up to. Would she be able to feel the way for him that he felt for her? Even though her having originally gotten close to him had been nothing but a farce, she had to admit she at least felt... _something_. Maybe that something would have had a name, if they both lead normal lives (well, as normal lives as mages could lead, anyway). Maybe then, being in his embrace and dancing with him wouldn't make her so sad.

Liliana opened her eyes as a chill ran up her spine. She couldn't help but feel a wave of discomfort and, as she looked out into the crowd of bodies she immediately found the source- maybe because the source was doing nothing to hide from her. Baltrice stood alone in the crowd, looking right at her with an ugly sneer across her lips. And that single glance was enough to rip Liliana away from her idealistic daydream and slam her back to reality.

"I can't..." She muttered as she tore herself away from Jace.

"Liliana!?" Jace gasped, looking back at her in surprise, his hands still hanging in midair where they had been holding her.

"I can't keep this to myself anymore!" Liliana groaned before reaching out and grasping one of Jaces hands, forcing him off the dance floor. He made no move to resist, though he objected verbally all the way into the hallway, trying to figure out what Liliana was doing and getting only silence and pained looks from her in return.

"W-Where are we going, exactly?" He finally asked after a short while of getting dragged down the dark school corridors and watching Liliana look back and forth in a nervous manner, like she was expecting someone to have followed them.

"A place where we won't be bothered." She finally spoke up. "I want what I'm about to tell you to remain only between me and you."

"Is it really that big a secret?"

"Jace... you have no idea."

Their journey ended, finally, at the indoor pool housed near the far end of the school. The room was almost pitch black, save for what little light leaked in from the windows. The air around them was warm and smelled of chlorine, and the only sound that filled it were their own footsteps. With a heavy, exhausted sigh, Liliana let go of Jaces hand and continued forward until she reached the edge of the lap pool that stretched out before them. The water was calm and reflected back only the darkness of the room.

"So... what did you want to-" Jace began, trying to fill the painfully quiet air with words.

"No, shut up." Liliana coldly responded, cutting him off with her own words and a look that was enough to freeze Jace in place, keeping him at a distance. "I don't want you saying a single thing, okay? No talking- not until I've said what I've had to say."

"But-"

"Please, Jace, you have no idea how fucking hard this is going to be for me." Liliana muttered in frustration. "I... need you to _not talk to me_."

Jace responded in the manner that suited what Liliana wanted- silence, albeit he didn't seem all too happy about it. Instead he watched as Liliana paced along the edge of the pool as she quietly rehearsed something under her breath, just quiet enough that he couldn't hear her without straining himself. Her brow furrowed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Given her mannerisms, Jace couldn't help but feel a bit of nerves, figuring what she planned to tell him wouldn't be all that positive

"Jace... I've been lying to you... for a really long time now." She finally said with difficulty, her back facing him as she hung her head shamefully. "Lying... is something that's come second nature to me, really. But it's never really bothered me until I... met you. Now I an feel all those lies pilled up on my shoulders and it feels like I'll be crushed."

Jace looked back at her, wanting desperately to speak up but continuing to keep his vow of silence against his better wishes as he watched Liliana wrap her arms tightly around herself.

"And now... all of those lies are finally coming back to bite me in the ass. I want- I _need_ to tell you the truth before you get bitten, too. I didn't tell Emmara, and look how she ended up. You could be next because of me..."

"You... don't have to tell me if you-"

"Didn't I tell you to _shut up!?_ " Liliana roared as she whipped around- but, unfortunately, as she did, the heel of one of her boots was caught in the grating surrounding the pool, tripping her up. With a gasp, Liliana slipped, falling in the direction of the pool.

"Liliana!" Jace shouted as he rushed forward to catch her.

A loud splash echoed through the room, water flying up into the air and over the side of the pool. Liliana, now submerged under the water, flailed her limbs about until he feet found the bottom and pushed herself toward the surface. With a deep gasp she surfaced, coughing as she looked around for Jace, sharp words at the ready. However, as she looked around, her companion was nowhere to be found.

"...Jace?" She called, seconds later being answered by another gasp and a frantic splash as the very person she had called for broke through to the surface of the water. Once he had finished catching his breath, the two of them stared back at one another, mouths agape... and laughed. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Liliana found herself genuinely laughing.

"I expected you to try and catch me, not follow me into the pool!" Liliana teased.

"My reflexes are still a lot to be desired, sorry..." Jace chuckled, resting against the edge of the pool as Liliana joined him, hardly half an arm's length between them. In fact, if the other were to lean forward, they would have butted heads.

"I'm sorry..." Liliana spoke up once the two of them were through with laughing. "I asked you here to the dance hoping we could enjoy ourselves, but I kind of made the entire evening awkward."

"Not the entire evening!" Jace insisted before smirking. "I mean, the part where you totally ate it into the pool was pretty exciting."

"Ass..." Liliana grumbled as she splashed him. "...Seriously though, I kind of put a damper on the evening. I should apologize."

"No harm done, it's fine." Jace assured her. "I got to spend an evening with you, so there's no reason for you to apologize."

Liliana looked back at him, a lump growing in her throat. Giving into her own, selfish wants, she reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder and drew him closer to her. Not even giving him time to question her actions or protest, she pressed her lips against his in a manner that could only be described as needy. And it was no surprise to her that there was very little resistance from Jace after the fact as he leaned in, deepening the kiss.

Once again, the room was quiet.

* * *

Avacyn looked out into the crowd that flooded the dance hall, unable to keep herself from feeling at least a little concerned. She couldn't seem to find Jace, Liliana, Gideon or Chandra, no matter how hard she looked. Had they gone elsewhere? Had they left the dance early? She surveyed the room once again, trying at least not to seem to unnerved about it.

"I certainly hope they aren't getting into trouble..." She sighed to herself. "That's the last thing we need."

"Excuse me, but what is the last thing you need?" A sinister voice asked before someone reached out from behind her, grabbing her waist with one hand and one of her wrists with the other, forcing her to lift her arm. She gasped, attempting to struggle, but she didn't attempt to turn around. She recognized the voice and the overwhelmingly dark presence of the creature that had her in their clutches.

"Bolas..." She muttered, attempting to struggle free.

"You know, for an angel, white isn't very becoming on you." Nicol Bolas- his human form he had chosen resembling a younger man who could pass off as a student- chuckled, his hot breath hitting the back of Avacyn's neck. She attempted to jerk free, but to no avail "Now, now, let's not make a scene. I've only come to deliver a message you can pass on to your miserable father, and I figured I'd participate in the festivities a bit."

From behind, he forced Avacyn out onto the dance floor, leading her in a dance that was a bit out of place with the music playing all around them. Nicol Bolas leaned in, still positioned behind her, close enough that his lips brushed against her ear as he spoke. They were cold, like someone was pressing ice to her skin, and it made Avacyn want to retch. She grimaced, but otherwise did nothing but listen.

"It's useless to continue this game any longer." He hissed. "If you'd been paying attention, you'd know that I'd already won from the start.

"Paying attention to what, exactly?" Avacyn asked coldly through clenched teeth.

"Jace Beleren." Nicol Bolas sneered. "Your little plan to stop me was doomed before it even began. The moment he was admitted to this school, you lost."

"I think you're calling thing's a bit too early now, Bolas." Avacyn glowered. "It's still anyone's game."

"And _I_ think your days as the Guardian Angel of Ravnica are numbered." Nicol Bolas chuckled, reaching up from her hip and around her to grasp her chin tightly. Avacyn's eyes darted left and right, but no one seemed to notice what was going on- they just danced around them as if they weren't even there. "And once I get what I want, the first thing I'm going to do is rip your pretty little wings off and give an angel her first taste of Hell."

Finally, Avacyn found the strength to pull away from her captor and whirled around to face him, every ounce of anger and fear on her face. But, instead of the terrifying, villainous creature she expected to see, she came to find no such thing standing behind her. Everyone else, however, seemed to notice her, a few of them whispering to one another just what was wrong with the dean's daughter, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

"This... can't be good."

* * *

"Shit! Shit! I knew I should have taken up Kiora on doing my makeup again!" Chandra cursed to herself as she ran through the snow. She wore a long, red dress that was long enough that she had to hold it up to keep it from dragging through the snow- but on top of it she wore the usual old, beat-up jacket she normally wore over her school clothes, not owning something more fitting to wear over her dress and also not caring that the dress and the old jacket were hardly meant to be worn as a set.

The offer had been made by her roommate to do her hair and makeup, but Chandra had foolishly insisted that she could do it on her own. Not to say she hadn't succeeded on her own, she had simply underestimated the time it would take a novice to do her own makeup and was now a solid hour and a half late- the only thing that kept her going after the first half hour being her own personal sense of pride. Even Gideon and all of his patience was probably tired of waiting for her. But, even so, she wanted the sense of accomplishment of saying she'd done everything herself.

"Gideon better still be there..." She muttered to herself, high-stepping through a snow bank. "Or else I'm going to take these damn high heels and shove them up his-"

"Hey! Chandra!" Someone called from behind her. Despite how late she already was, Chandra turned around coming to find Baltrice standing a short distance away, looking smug like they'd been competing in something and she had already won. Her and the older pyromancer hardly spoke, but Chandra knew her well enough from rumors that Baltrice was bad news.

"Um... Can I help you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In a manner of speaking..." Baltrice chuckled, slowly making her way over to her. "Though, in a second here, it's you who is going to be the one needing help."

"What do you-?" Chandra began to ask before she felt herself being grabbed from behind- taking her by the arms and roughly pulling them behind her. Immediately she began to struggle, managing to break away from her captor only to be grabbed by a second person who took hold of her more securely. She strained to look at her assailants, but all of them had their faces obscured by scarves and masks.

"Now, now, you really mustn't struggle, or else my friends here are going to have to get... rough with you." Baltrice smiled sickly. "Well... more rough than they already intend to be."

"Help!" Chandra cried out, still trying to yank herself free. "Somebody _HELP_!"

"We can't have any of that. Can't have anyone interrupting us..." Baltrice scolded before motioning to one of Chandra's captors. She struggled harder than before, continuing to try and cry out for someone to help her before someone threw their hand over her mouth. Not that it stopped her from screaming, but it wasn't long before her vision began to blur and her head began to feel light. It quickly became a chore to speak, much less scream for help.

"Sorry about this, little girl. It's just... business." Baltrice smirked, not sounding the least bit sorry- from what Chandra could hear anyway. She sounded like she was a long ways away despite being right in front of her. "Had you tangled with different people, maybe it wouldn't come to this."


	31. When it All Comes Crashing Down

Jace hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the entire night. It could be that he was in an unfamiliar bed- but he knew that was a total load of bull. Who was in the bed with him was a more likely answer to his sleepless night. Liliana lay beside him, obviously not suffering the same sort of insomnia Jace was- no, she was sound asleep, looking angelically peaceful. Still, though, the sleeplessness didn't bother Jace one bit. Getting to watch Liliana as she slept was worth the bags under his eyes- and so was what had happened between them the night before. How was he even expected to sleep after all of that?

Jace rolled over, contentedly sighing as he looked up at the ceiling of Liliana's bedroom. Their clothes had been soaked and the dorms had been closer, but the two of them had wanted to be... alone at the time. He hadn't been all that sure just how far the evening would wind up going, but being covered in a sheet of snow and ice and draped in clothes that had gone from being soggy to being stiff from frost had motivated them to remove them almost as soon as they walked through the door. Even now, he was sure his clothes and her dress were still messily discarded between the entryway and the living room. The rest came naturally- clinging to one another beneath the sheets for warmth becoming clinging to one another for completely different reasons. Clinging turned into caressing and talking and the chattering of teeth went silent to make way for kissing.

It had been the best night of Jace's life, all things considered- an there would be many more of those nights to come, or so Jace hoped. Liliana, the girl who had practically mastered the art of being distant, was finally close enough to actually feel. Finally, there she was beside him, completely present.

"Liliana..." He whispered to himself as he reached out to remove strands of hair that had fallen in her face. But, before he could even do that, a loud, rapid banging came from the front door, like someone was using it as a punching bag. Liliana, who had been sleeping so peacefully, was roused from sleep- hardly regaining consciousness with the same amount of grace she had while asleep. She frowned sharply and furrowed her brow before she even opened her eyes, a frustrated sound escaping her that would have been more suitable coming from an angry bear than a human.

"Who the hell!?" She mumbled loudly, eyes still tightly shut as she began to pull the covers over her head and roll about to make something like a cocoon. "Go awaaaay!"

"They sound really persistent." Jace commented, sitting up as the sheets that had once covered him were completely claimed by the girl beside him in an attempt to probably muffle the noise.

"Well, they can _persistently_ go the hell away!" Liliana groaned.

However, no amount of trying to wait out their rudely-loud visitor seemed to do any good. Whoever was outside seemed more content in letting their hands bleed from pounding on Liliana's door than with leaving them in peace. So with a quiet groan, Jace slowly slid from off Liliana's bed and carefully stepped over books that were strewn over the floor (that had probably been situated on the bed before they decided to commandeer it).

"I'll go see who it is..." He sighed, looking down at the mountain of sheets that covered Liliana and holding back a chuckle. If there was one thing he got to learn from his visit (and he certainly _had_ learned plenty) it was that Liliana was not at all a morning person. It sort of reminded him of Gideon, and how his morning routine involved hiding beneath sheets and pretending it wasn't morning.

"And while you're there, can you tell them to kindly fuck off!?" He heard her snarl from beneath the tangled layers of covers.

"I'll see if I can't fit that in." Jace rolled his eyes before leaving Liliana's bedroom and heading for the door- stopping to at least pick up his boxers that were closest to the bedroom door in the path of discarded clothing he and Liliana had left behind. At the very least he intended on answering the door semi decent and not in all his glory. He shivered in discontent as he slipped his underwear on, feeling the still-moist and cold fabric cling to his skin. If the persistent, loud banging at the door hadn't woken him up, the wet boxers that now clothed him certainly were doing that job just as well.

"I'm coming!" He called out as he walked into the entryway, and almost immediately the knocking stopped in an almost shocked fashion- as if the person on the other side had forgotten why they were there and hadn't expected to actually be answered. Reveling in the sudden quiet just a bit, Jace made his way to the door, but was surprised by who he found there, looking like they were ready to start punching the door again.

"N-Nissa?" Jace questioned, immediately trying to find reasons as to why she, of all people, would bother showing up at Liliana's door. Whatever the reason was, she didn't seem all that pleased to be there and having to let herself sink as low as to drop by the home of a human (or, at least, Jace figured those were her thoughts. He dared not actually delve into her mind for fear of what he actually would find there). She also seemed a bit more disheveled than when he had last seen her- her hair that had been neatly pulled back and styled falling out of place and her clothes in disarray. She also looked like she was low on sleep and very high on worries, but with Emmara still in a coma her unkempt look wasn't surprising- sad, but not surprising.

"Hmm? What are you doing here?" She questioned, her forehead wrinkling as she narrowed her eyes. "I was sure this was Liliana's domicile..." Jace felt a shiver run up his spine as Nissa looked him over judgingly and he found himself wishing he'd bothered to put on more clothes despite how wet they probably still were.

"I suppose I shouldn't be all that surprised. It's rather common for humans to start _mating_ even as adolescents." She practically spat.

"Please don't call it 'mating'." Jace sighed, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"So I'm correct? Well, if Emmara was awake I'm sure she'd find this news to be worth celebrating, but unfortunately for you, you'll have to settle for my disgust."

"W-what do you want!?" Jace found himself snapping. "Why are you even here!?"

"Is it about Emmara!?" Both Jace and Nissa looked to Jace's side to find Liliana had joined them, wrapped in sheets and her hair tangled and tussled. Nissa clicked her tongue and shook her head, her demeanor shifting a bit as a look of sorrow graced her features lightly.

"No, unfortunately Emmara still hasn't woken up. I mean... her condition hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't improved." Nissa admitted.

"Then why the hell are you here?" Liliana asked with not a single shred of tact. Nissa eyed her coldly, a bothered noise escaping her.

"Well, you two being in the same place is convenient, despite the implications as to why making my stomach turn..." Nissa mumbled. "The two of you are companions of Chandra Nalaar and Gideon Jura, correct? You might find it important to know that the two of them were admitted to the hospital last night."

* * *

"Gideon!" Liliana and Jace both shouted as they burst into the recovery room where their friend was being held. They honestly hadn't bothered to ask what had happened or what state he was in- not at the front desk where they had stayed only long enough to be told where Gideon was, and certainly not from Nissa who didn't seem at all bothered they hadn't inquired. For all they knew, he could have been in the same state as Emmara: mysteriously in a coma, unable to be woken. Liliana's stomach had churned at the thought that it seemed very likely every one of her friends would meet similar fates.

But, much to their relief, Gideon was hardly in a state they could even call poor. The most serious of his injuries seemed to be his foot- that had been tightly wrapped and put into a splint- and his forehead where a bandage had been wrapped around. There were a few other minor injuries, a bandage here and there, some bruising and a black eye that had his eye swelled shut, but he hardly seemed miserable or in pain. He even smiled as his two friends burst through the door, bellowing his name.

"I was expecting you guys to drop by eventually, but not like this." He chuckled. "Though I wish I'd had known you'd make such a dramatic entrance- I would have hammed up my condition a little more to get you guys to wait on me. Service here is a little scarce, at least for patients who are in recovery. But can't a man with a broken ankle get at least a little attention, I mean seriously?"

"I-It's not bad, is it?" Jace asked. "I mean, you're here on a sports scholarship. Won't a broken ankle sort of get in the way of, well, all of that?"

"I keep on forgetting you grew up around regular people all your life. You've probably never even been to a hospital that services magic-folk." Gideon laughed. "The doctors here are well known for their healing spells, so I should be back to normal in a couple of weeks. If regular people weren't as prejudiced as they are, they'd have access to a lot better health care. But nooooo, mages are scary and shouldn't be trusted."

"That's a relief." Jace and Liliana both sighed. At least Gideon was in high spirits and wasn't in a state that was going to effect him in the long run. That still left the matter of what he was doing there with a broken ankle, though.

"What happened, exactly?" Liliana questioned. "Did you slip on some ice?"

"No, no, nothing that embarrassing. I may not look it, but I have a lot more grace than that." Gideon rolled his eyes. "I wound up leaving the dance to go fetch Chandra, but on my way I was actually _jumped_ by someone- can you believe it? I didn't even get a chance to defend myself or see their faces, since the cowards crept up behind me and whacked me in the head." He pointed at his bandaged head. "Knocked me right out. They honestly could have left it at that, but they also decided to break my ankle and rough me up a bit before leaving me to freeze. If I hadn't been found, I'm sure I'd be in here being treated for frostbite to boot, probably missing and ear or some toes."

"Well, it's a good thing you're safe. It's a little scary to hear your friend's in the hospital and not know the reason why." Jace said, sounding relieved.

"Do you have any idea who could have done it?" Liliana asked.

"I mean, I don't want to go around pointing fingers, and like I said, I didn't get a good enough look at them to know for sure." Gideon sighed. "I mean, it could be members of a rival football team. Our team's been killing it and we're right on our way to nationals... but there's another explanation that doesn't sit well with me and I'd like it if the two of you didn't bring it up to Chandra, at least."

"Why not to Chandra?" Jace questioned.

"Well... there's been talk in Boros of choosing me to run the maze for the guild, and from what I've heard, a lot of guilds are still looking for maze runners. The end of the school year is approaching and things are getting really tense, especially for the guilds who don't have a runner yet. I'm beginning to assume it might have been one of them, to try and weed out the competition." Gideon explained. "And you know how Chandra is about the guilds- if she hears that there's even a possibility I was injured because of guild-on-guild violence she'll never let me hear the end of it. I know how she worries, so I don't want her to have to do more of that than she already does."

"Speaking of Chandra, has she stopped by yet? I mean, she was admitted here also, so I figure she probably would make her way here eventually." Liliana inquired.

"Wait, what? She was admitted here, too!?" Gideon gasped, immediately looking worried.

"Y-You didn't know?" Liliana stammered. "She wasn't with you when you got jumped!?"

"No, I was alone!" Gideon shook his head. "Did... did something happen to her? Is she alright!?"

"We actually don't know yet- we came to see you first and figured you were admitted together." Jace explained. "We'll probably visit her next so don't-" He looked to his side where Liliana was- or rather had been. He managed to catch a glimpse of her running out of the recovery room and down the hall back towards the front desk.

"H-hey, Liliana!" He shouted, heading after her, leaving Gideon helplessly confused, bound to his bed and unable to follow after the both of them.

"Liliana! Wait for a second, would you!?" Jace shouted, turning a corner just in time to see Liliana skidding to a halt in front of the front desk, slamming her hands on the counter. The nurse behind it jumped slightly, looking hardly at all amused by Liliana's actions. Liliana hardly seemed to notice the nurse's annoyance as well as how disruptive her own actions were as she shouted before the nurse could get a word in edgewise,

"Chandra Nalaar!"

"Um... excuse me?" The nurse asked, raising an eyebrow and continuing to look unmoved and rather bothered.

"Liliana, calm down. I'm sure she's f-" Jace began to try and cut in and calm Liliana down as he joined her at her side. Liliana gave him a rude shove and continued her bombastic shouting.

"Chandra Nalaar! She was admitted here last night or this morning! Where is she!? What happened to her!?" She demanded. The nurse clicked her tongue but began typing away at her computer, grudgingly obeying Liliana.

"Hmm... it seems a Chandra Nalaar did admit herself here late last night." The nurse sighed after a few taps of her keyboard and clicks of her mouse. "But she checked out early this morning- that being the case I _can't tell you_ where your friend is."

"What about what happened to her, then!?" Liliana snapped. "What was she admitted for?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think at liberty to say." The nurse responded snappily, glaring back at Liliana. "It's up to Miss Nalaar to decide if she wants you to know or not."

"But-!"

"Look, your friend came an went already. She wasn't horribly injured or dying- didn't even make much of a fuss. Be grateful she was able to leave on her own of her own volition and not in a hearse- like how _you're_ treating it." The nurse groaned. "Don't blame me for not being able to tell you what happened, blame doctor/patient confidentiality, if you want to be mad at something. I'm just doing my job. Now, is that all, or do you have any other concerns you feel the need to scream about?"

Liliana said nothing in response- only snarled and sharply turned to leave.

"Liliana, hold on, where are you going _now_?" Jace asked, tailing her once again, struggling to meet her stride. "You heard the nurse: Chandra's fine- at least, fine enough where she didn't have to be held overnight like Gideon."

"I want to make sure for myself. Something about this isn't sitting right..." Liliana muttered, heading for the elevators. "I have a sinking feeling something's up with Chandra... and if that's the case then this all might be my fault."

"What? Why in the world would you say that?" Jace questioned. But Liliana responded only with silence as she walked into the elevator as it arrived. She answered every other prying question of his the same way- with lips pressed tightly together and eyes glued forward. But, with the look in her eyes, she might as well have been screaming. That look remained on her face the entire ride down- they were only a few floors up, but the elevator ride seemed to last forever, with a combination of Jace's nerves and the tense aura Liliana seemed to exude that caused it. He looked to her, as if her face would give away an answer that her mind could not, but she only stared straight ahead at her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator, more than grazing her bottom lip her her teeth and looking back at herself like she were facing down an enemy.

"Liliana... what is going on?" He asked her as the elevator began to slow down once it started to rach the lobby. "What aren't you telling me."

"Look, that doesn't matter right now, alright?" Liliana snapped, her gaze still glued forward. "I don't want to talk about it right now, so could you please just-"

"No!" Jace shouted before Liliana could even finish. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark! I need answers, Liliana! There's something wrong- I know there is- but you won't tell me! How do you expect me to help you if you don't tell me what's going on!?"

"You _can't_ help me, Jace! _Nobody_ can!" Liliana raised her voice as she balled her hands tightly into fists. "And what good would telling you do me right now if all it will do is make you hate me?"

"What... are you talking about?" Jace asked just as the doors to the elevator opened.

"... We need to see if Chandra's okay." Liliana responded.

"Fine. And then will you tell me?"

Liliana answered with silence.

* * *

"Chandra! Chandra come on, open the door! There's no way you can still be asleep!"

Jace and Liliana arrived at Chandra's dorm room door to find her roommate, Kiora, pounding away at it angrily. The merfolk's blue skin was flushed red as she groaned in frustration and pulled her hands away from the door to run her webbed fingers through the fin-like frills that fanned out from the top of her head. She was still dressed in her pajamas, not even wearing shoes. Pausing from knocking and shouting, she took notice of the new presence in the hallway and turned sharply towards Liliana and Jace with a huff.

"U-um... is Chandra in there?" Jace found himself asking and immediately regretting, by the way that Kiora wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

"She'd better be." She grumbled. "I left my key in there and left for breakfast while little miss sleep-the-weekend-away was still buried under her covers. I didn't expect to come back to find she had _locked the damn door_!" She punctuated herself with slamming her fist a few more times against the door.

"Is she okay?" Liliana asked abruptly.

"She's not going to be once I'm done with her- I swear, of all the times to do this to me..." Kiora mumbled to herself. "With the amount of sleep she's allowing herself to get, I'm sure she's fine. I came back from the dance last night and she was already here, fast asleep. I tried waking her up this morning for breakfast, but she told me to go away and that she wasn't hungry. Which brings us to now, where she's locked me out when I have an important guild meeting I was specifically asked to attend that I'm going to be late for..."

"Maybe we can help?" Jace offered, again being met by the same look of annoyed disdain from the merfolk girl.

"Knock yourself out, guy. Can't say I'll be able to stay and watch you work a miracle, though, I'm running late enough as it is." She shrugged, rolling her eyes. "I guess I'm just going to have to explain to Zegana and all the higher-ups in Simic why I'm showing up looking like I just rolled out of bed."

With that, Kiora angrily stormed away, muttering to herself all the way to the stairs. Jace and Liliana watched her until she left before turning to the door. They stood in silence for a moment before Liliana made a move and lightly knocked on the door with a fraction of the force Kiora had been using.

"Chandra? Are you in there? It's Liliana- and Jace is with me..." She paused, her lips tightly pressing together. "Is everything alright? We just want to know if you're okay..."

"If she wasn't going to let her own roommate in, what makes you think she's going to let us in? Because it doesn't sound like we're trying to punch a hole through the door?" Jace sighed. "Chances are she might not even be in there."

"And chances are I'm going to make damn sure before we go looking all over campus for her." Liliana groaned before turning back to the door and knocking again. "Chandra..."

"Stay right there." A voice on the other side of the door answered, causing both Liliana and Jace to jump a bit, followed by the faint noise of the door unlocking. "Don't come in until I say so." The voice certainly seemed to belong to Chandra, but it hardly sounded like her- like all of the life had been sucked out of her. The warmth that was usually present whenever she talked was completely gone, leaving nothing but cold words. Both Jace and Liliana obeyed, although Liliana had her hand hovering over the door handle until they were given permission to enter, Chandra's voice a little more distant from the door.

As they entered, they immediately saw Chandra, although she was covered in one of her bed sheets and shrunk away from the light that leaked into the room from the hallway. All they could see of her were her hands tightly clasping at her cover and keeping it wrapped around herself.

"Chandra..." Liliana began.

"Is Gideon okay?" Chandra interrupted.

"What about you? What happened?" Liliana attempted to pry, taking a cautious step toward her hidden friend.

"Stay right there! Don't come any closer..." Chandra shouted, shrinking back all the more before repeating, " _Is Gideon okay_?"

"...He's a little roughed up, but he's fine- probably worried sick about you." Liliana explained. "We know you were admitted to the hospital last night, Chandra. Something happened, we just want to know what..."

"No!" Chandra exclaimed, shaking her head beneath her sheet. "I can't... I just can't..."

"Chandra, please!" Liliana urged. "We're worried about you-"

"Liliana, maybe we shouldn't pry-" Jace began to say before Liliana cut him off, continuing to try and draw Chandra out of hiding.

"Please, Chandra, we just want to help!"

"You think you can help me..." Chandra began, her words surprisingly choked by a sob before she continued, her voice quivering as she spoke. "You think you can help me after they... after they..." Chandra's form beneath the sheet crumpled forward as she started to softly cry. It only took a few seconds of listening to her friend sob before Liliana took action and walked purposely over to Chandra. She grasped at the sheet and pulled it away- surprisingly with little resistance- to find Chandra curled forward into a ball, her head hidden in her hands... and all of her long, wavy red hair completely missing. All that remained was amber stubble along her scalp. She did nothing to try and hide herself, and instead began to cry harder.

"They... they waited until I was awake..." She mumbled through her tears. "They held me down so I couldn't escape... and gagged me so I couldn't cry out for help. They... they... they were laughing at me, like it was _funny_. It hurt, Lili... it hurt so much... and they just... _wouldn't stop!_ "

Liliana shook her head, hands over her mouth in shock.

_No... they couldn't have..._

"Why didn't they stop, Lili? Why did they... do this to me...?"

_Please... no, not that..._

"I'm nothing but used garbage now... nothing but trash..." Chandra moaned, sounding almost like she was in agony. "I'll never be able to face Gideon now, as I am..."

Liliana staggered backward, eyes still fixed on her crying friend as her shoulders shook as she cried. She wasn't talking about her hair. She wouldn't be so upset about having her hair shaved off. No, Chandra had been robbed of something else, and it made Liliana sick to her stomach to realize just what it was.

"Chandra... I..." Liliana managed to say despite how choked up she was getting.

"They... they told me... if I wanted someone to blame, that I should blame you..." Chandra lifted her head and looked back at Liliana through tear-filled eyes. "Why would they say that? What did they mean by that, Lili!?"

Liliana stumbled back as if Chandra's words were an actual, physical force. Eyes wide open in shock and hand over her mouth, she looked like she had just seen a ghost or was about to throw up. Or both. Jace joined Chandra in staring back at her, watching as Liliana's emotional state deteriorated swiftly from horror to guilt and then quickly back to absolute terror. She shook her head, the only sounds that escaped her being tiny gasps and mumbles of words half-formed. There was something Liliana knew- or figured she knew- and it was overwhelming her.

"Liliana... what's wrong?" Jace dared to ask.

"Why would they say something like that?" Chandra chimed in, raising her voice in what sounded like desperation. Tears streamed from her eyes and down her cheeks, looking nothing short of betrayed. "You... did you have something to do with this?"

A choked noise escaped Liliana before she spun around and made a b-line for the door and escaping down the hallway. Jace took a step in the same direction before he forced himself to stop and looked back at Chandra. She looked down at her lap as her tears dripped onto her legs and gripped at the messy sheets below her in a grasp that seemed almost painful to keep.

"Chandra-"

"Go away..." She mumbled, turning away from him and trying to rub her tears away with the back of her hand. "Get out of here..."

Jace quietly obeyed, taking slow steps backward toward the door, his gaze never leaving his broken friend. Aside from the lack of her hair, she certainly _looked_ like Chandra, but the way she held herself and how she spoke and acted, she might as well have been a different person. The old Chandra had been forcibly taken, along with the poor girl's virtue.

"Wait!" She suddenly called out. Jace looked at her hopefully as she turned to him, still crying. Her bottom lip trembled as she took an uneasy, quivering breath. "If you tell Gideon... I'll... I'll just..."

"I-I promise... I won't tell him." He assured her. "Though... I think this is something he should probably know about-"

"No!" Chandra cried, hiding her face. "I can't tell him... I'll never tell him... He won't look at me the same way again if I do..."

"..." Jace stared back at her, lost for words. What could he possibly say, anyway? It had gotten to the point where words probably wouldn't do anyone any good.

"Now get out..." Chandra muttered, curling into a shaking ball as she did so. "I want to be alone..."

Re-staring his exit, Jace left without argument and quietly closed the door. Moments later he swore he heard the lock to the door click back into the place, but he dared not satisfy his curiosity. Instead he quickly strode down the hallway back towards the stairs. There was still the matter of Liliana having torn out of the dorm room- and at the speed she had been going she could have escaped anywhere by then. Much to his relief, though, she had only gotten as far as the courtyard between the dormitories, on her hands and knees in the now-melting snow. By the way her shoulders were shaking, there was no doubt in Jace's mind she was either crying or desperately holding back tears.

"Liliana!" He called out, running to her side. She visibly twitched, but didn't look over her shoulder. "Liliana... what happened back there?" She only responded by furiously shaking her head, her long, black hair flying back and fourth wildly as she did. "You know something... don't you?"

"...This is all my fault..." She finally muttered quietly. "I could have kept this from happening!"

"What are you talking about? First the thing with Emmara and now you're blaming yourself for what happened to Chandra." Jace sighed, furrowing his brow. "I mean, what's happening to our friends is awful, but you really shouldn't blame yourself."

"You don't understand! Emmara, Gideon, Chandra- all of those things all happened because of me!" Liliana cried. "I had my doubts... I hoped maybe I was just being paranoid... but what Chandra said back there confirmed all of this. I'm to blame... this is all my fault!"

"What are you talking about?" Jace asked, a shiver running up his spine. "This... wouldn't happen to be what you wanted to tell me last night, would it?"

"...Have you ever found it curious you can't read my mind, Jace?" Liliana asked. After only getting surprised noises from him, she continued, refusing to look back at him. "Yes, I know you can't, and it's not because I'm special, or that I'm always honest with you. In fact, it's the exact opposite. I'm nothing but a liar. My befriending you and letting you get close to me has been nothing but a sham. If you had read my mind back then, when we first met, you would have known right away..."

"How... how did you...?"

"Being able to black out one's thoughts from people who might try reading them is terribly powerful magic- something I'd never be able to pull off. But... my employer was able to do it handily. I got close to you and did all of those things with you so you would develop feelings for me and be vulnerable to persuasion."

"What... kind of persuasion?" Jace asked, sounding cautious.

"The kind... that would get you to run the maze for the Infinite Consortium... for Nicol Bolas." Liliana explained, each word needing to be forced out and hurting on its way up her throat and out her mouth. "I'm sorry... up until recently I've been nothing but another one of Bolas' goons. Almost everything I've done with you I did to make you trust me and lower your defenses around me. When we met, when we told one another about our pasts, the fall dance, even regaining Chandra and Gideon's trust- all of it was so that, if you ever were to ask me who it was you should run the maze for, you'd listen to me when I told you Bolas was the best option.

"But I've changed! Or... I guess you and everyone else has changed me. I... I mean it when I say I love you, I really do! I betrayed Nicol Bolas and went against his orders because my feelings for you... they're real now! You're the first person who has truly shown me compassion, who befriended me when nobody else would! I could never lead you astray, not now! But... betraying Bolas came with punishment, and everyone close to me has suffered torment because of me! And I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry... You're all I have left... I don't want to lose you, too..."

"Oh my, so heartfelt!" A chilling voice chuckled mockingly. "I never would have thought someone like you had it in you."

Liliana gasped and scrambled to her feet while spinning around to look back at Jace- and the new, third person who had joined them. They appeared to be an aristocratic older woman dressed in a professional looking suit with long, black hair, but Liliana knew better by the chill that ran up her spine and how her heart seemed to skip a beat in fear.

"B... Bolas..." Liliana gasped before looking to Jace who strangely wasn't reacting at all to the appearance of the fiendish dragon. However, the moment her eyes met his, her blood ran cold. He looked back at her with a blank, unmoved expression. He hardly looked angry or shocked or afraid- he simply looked vacant. "...No..."

"Sorry to have cut in, but it just seemed like just the right time to... take control of the situation, as it were." Bolas smirked, throwing one arm around Jace's shoulder while he lifted his other hand to stroke the base of his chin with his fingertips. Jace did nothing to react, as if he had been replaced by a statue that resembled him. "I've waited a long time to claim this boy's mind, and now just seemed like just the right time to finally do it."

"No... you bastard! Give him back!" Liliana shrieked. Nicol Bolas responded with an explosion of laughter.

"Oh, you poor, poor girl. You think he was yours to even begin with?" He chuckled. "Jace Beleren's mind has always belonged to me- it was simply a matter of deciding when to take away his freedom. Sorry for leading you along in thinking you were the only method to gaining access to my prize inside the maze, I may have gotten a bit of a kick out of watching you try so, so hard. All to get those demons off your back, am I right? But now... it seems that they're all you'll ever have for company."

"You... you can't do this!" Liliana shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Oh, but I already have. And this is just the beginning." Nicol Bolas sneered. "I'm going to have all the enjoyment I can before all of this is over. And when I'm through, this school- this _world_ \- will belong to me and everything and everyone who tries to act against me will be laid to waste!"


	32. Doing What's Right

It had finally happened: one of the speakers on Gideon's sound system had finally blown out. Not that it was the worst thing that had happened that week, but it certainly was the rotten cherry on top of it. The aggravating, rattling buzz from one of the central speakers seemed to mock him- mostly because he had been staring back at the worn out sound equipment all by himself. Chandra hadn't been there to laugh at his misfortune, Jace hadn't been around to mutter a quiet "oh thank the gods" to himself, Liliana hadn't been there to groan and just tell him to shut it off already and even Avacyn wasn't there to offer up only apathy for his situation. Just like the entire rest of the week, his friends had been absent and Gideon had been left alone and (for the most part) frustrated.

Jace had grown cold and hardly came and went from the dorm room when Gideon was around or awake. And when he did finally appear he hardly spoke to him or even looked at him. It was as if Gideon had become a stranger holding up in his dorm room and maybe, if he just pretended like Gideon was just another piece of furniture, maybe he'd go away. Gideon had tried to pry from him many times what had happened, but Jace hardly offered up anything than a sentence or two, mostly about how nothing was wrong or that it wasn't any of Gideon's business- both of which Gideon couldn't bring himself to believe.

Even stranger than that, though, was that Liliana had completely vanished. It wasn't that she was completely being aloof, or that they were hardly finding time to meet, she had disappeared without a word to anyone. It was something that had happened before, but with Jace's odd behavior, Gideon couldn't help but feel this wasn't the same. It had gotten to the point where Lavinia of the Azorius guild had approached him and asked if he had any ideas as to Liliana's whereabouts. And when he shrugged and jokingly answered with, "Jace would probably know" Lavinia had only sighed in annoyance and told Gideon that Jace hadn't been of any help whatsoever- that he seemed almost reluctant to even talk about Liliana, much less figure out where she could have gone. Gideon had dropped by her apartment once that week, but no one had been home.

Avacyn was probably the only one of them who appeared semi-regularly, but hardly for long periods of time and always like she was in a hurry to be somewhere or too bogged down with work to be bothered. She always seemed exhausted and, as the week went on, more and more jumpy. Her usual calm, emotionless demeanor had almost completely melted away, and instead had been replaced by stress and worry- or at least, that's how it seemed to Gideon. But every time he asked her what was wrong, she simply would shake her head and tell him there was nothing to worry about. She said that, but Gideon could tell, by the look in her eyes- like she was afraid for him- that she was lying, however he never had the heart to confront her about it. She had enough on her plate, whatever it was.

And then there was Chandra, the girl whose absence stood out the strongest in the forefront of Gideon's mind. He's learned from Jace and Liliana that she'd been admitted to the hospital the same night he had, and the moment he'd been allowed to hobble out on his crutches he had made a B-line for her dorm. But when he arrived, she shouted at him from the other side of the door to go away. It was the fact that she hadn't sounded angry that bothered him the most- it was that it sounded like she had been crying. He stopped by every day, and things went from her responding the same way to her not even saying anything at all. It got to the point where Gideon would simply stop by just to get things off his chest in hopes that she would answer, but every time he would up simply unloading his troubles on the locked door and the silence just beyond.

Something had happened while he had been out of the picture- something big. But in the wake of whatever it was that had happened, everyone was either gone or refused to tell him anything. It felt like he'd dodged some kind of bullet, but was still somehow paying the price despite that- caught up in the aftermath of some terrible explosion.

And, now, his speakers had finally blown out, and no staring back at them angrily was going to fix them- no, doing that was only going to succeed in making him late for class. So, grudgingly, he turned around and grabbed his crutches. It was probably the last day he'd have to use them, which was the one positive thing that had come out of that day so far. The sooner he could start walking around without them, the sooner he could regain at least a small fraction of normalcy that had been completely snatched away.

It took a while, as usual, to half walk- half hobble his way to the campus, and by the time he walked through the front doors of the school most of the morning crowd had vanished, probably in class. Gideon hoped that his crutches would gain him one day more of pardon for winding up late as he walked further into the room- towards the roped off entrance to the maze. Looking at it now... it only made him angry.

"What is my role in this whole thing anyway?" He muttered to himself. "All this time I've felt like... nothing but a pawn..." He stood there in silence a moment, as if the pit would answer back and enlighten him, before sighing to himself and turning to leave. Standing around and brooding wasn't going to fix anything, that as least was for certain.

However, as he turned, he bumped shoulders with someone passing by- someone, upon looking up, who was strikingly familiar, although they regarded him with about as much familiarity as a common stranger and continued to pass Gideon by as if they hadn't just collided. And, after that morning- after that whole, miserable week, Gideon wasn't about to just stay quiet and let them pass.

"Jace!" Gideon reached out, allowing his crutches to clatter onto the marble floor, and grabbed Jace by the shoulder. He turned around to face Gideon, looking nothing but annoyed by having been forced to stop. The others he was with stopped too, looking back at Gideon with the same, withering gaze. It was an odd company for Jace to keep: Ral Zarek, the now-guildleader of Izzet, and the merfolk girl, Kiora, who Gideon knew as Chandra's roommate. The way all three of them looked at him, Gideon half-expected them to try and start some kind of fight. "Jace... I'm sorry, I just... What's going on? Avacyn won't tell me anything, hell, Liliana is missing and Chandra... Chandra refuses to even see me. Please... I just want to know... what's going on?"

"...Let go of me." Jace said in a chillingly- even tone. He looked Gideon dead in the eyes, and for a second, he could hardly breath- his lungs failing him, his body freezing up. He could feel his hand slowly lifting away from Jace's shoulder, even though he wasn't consciously moving it. It took every ounce of will to find words to speak, and even then they came out as whispers.

"Jace... what happened to you?"

"Now, now, Jace, play nice with the poor cripple. Gods know he's got it bad enough as it is." A voice behind Gideon cackled. All at once, he felt his body relax and his lungs greedily take in air. Gideon looked over his shoulder to find Baltrice sauntering up behind him, a sly smile across her face. Gideon hardly knew her, but seeing her left a foul taste in his mouth.

"Isn't it a little early to be skulking around school for you?" He muttered. Baltrice merely threw her head back and laughed as she circled around to his front side, leaning on Jace's other shoulder in an overly affectionate way. Jace did nothing to shake her off, still staring back at Gideon as if he was unwelcome.

"What, am I supposed to hide in a cellar somewhere until nightfall like some kind of vampire? No, no, I think you have me confused with the dean." Baltrice sneered. "I'm still a student here, regardless of what times my classes are held. I'm more than free to- what was it? 'Skulk around school' I think it was. Anyway, I have more than enough reason to be here, and you have no right to make me feel unwelcome." She tossed her head back victoriously, eyeing Gideon as if he were some sort of defenseless prey animal.

"And what reason is that?" Gideon grumbled.

"Guild business. The Infinite Consortium's guildleader is unwell, so I've been chosen to stand in for them." Baltrice stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"You mean Mister Sarkhan Vol?"

"Hmph, something like that. The Infinite Consortium's chain of command isn't any of your concern."

"Well, that explains you and Ral..."

"Oh, didn't you hear? Poor, poor Zegana has fallen ill. I hear she fainted during one of her classes and has yet to wake up- the sad little fish girl." Baltrice chuckled remorselessly. "Kiora here was chosen as her replacement. If you wish to offer up some long overdue words of congratulation, now's the time." Gideon looked to the young merfolk girl who only glowered at him. He chose not to speak.

"...Then why is Jace with you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Well, that's a question you should ask Jace himself. It's quite rude to talk about people like they aren't here." Baltrice giggled. She looked up at Jace who looked back at Gideon as if he were boring him.

"Jace... What's going on here?"

"As the maze runner for the Infinite Consortium, I'm required to attend." Jace explained.

" _What_?"

"You heard the man, he didn't stutter. Jace is our maze runner: the Infinite Consortium's ticket to greatness." Baltrice smirked. "Is there a problem with that?"

"W-Well... no, but... Jace, are you really-?"

"Enough chatter." Ral cut in, sounding impatient. "If we don't go now we're going to be late."

"It would be rude to make everyone wait on us." Kiora agreed.

"Well, Mister Jura, are you done holding us up?" Baltrice asked smugly. "Or are there any more questions you have for Jace? Not that he'll answer them.." She leaned in and whispered, like she was telling a secret, the mischievous grin she wore never leaving her lips. "I don't think he's very much in the mood to get grilled for no reason, though."

Gideon looked back at Jace, who was still staring back him coldly. It was so strange, he was right there, standing not even an arm's length away from Gideon... and yet it was almost like a stranger was standing before him.

"... No." He muttered, finally lowering his arm.

"Then we have nothing else to discuss." Baltrice waved her hands dismissively as she and the others turned to leave, leaving Gideon to stand in the main entrance alone, his crutches lying at his feet.

"...Yeah. I guess we don't."

* * *

"Well, well, well, look who's decided to dwell among us!" Gideon tried not to roll his eyes as he approached the lunch table. Aurelia greeted him in a holier-than-thou tone, a tone of voice practically perfected by angels. She fluttered her wings lightly in greeting and everyone else at the table chuckled- those being a few members of Boros, Tajic being one of them, and Ajani. "Funny, you usually choose to eat with your... other friends."

"Are you saying I'm unwelcome to sit and eat with my guildleader and my teammates?" Gideon asked, cocking an eyebrow. Aurelia opened her mouth, but before she could get a chance to speak, the others spoke for her.

"Stop teasing the poor guy, he's had it hard enough as it is- getting his ankle broken by some goon." Tajic chuckled, reaching out and pulling an empty chair away from a nearby table. "It's no way to treat a friend."

"Fine, fine, he can sit with us." Aurelia laughed as Gideon took his seat. "But really, Gideon, aside from team practice and guild meetings we hardly see any bit of you. You're always hanging out with... well..."

"We've been calling it the 'odd squad'." Ajani admitted at the behest of everyone else who shushed him. Aurelia smacked him on the shoulder. "What? He deserves to know just how bitchy you guys are behind his back!"

"It's alright, I deserve it." Gideon assured him. "I guess I have been a little... distant lately." He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I should have considered how you guys felt- I'm really sorry."

"Hey, now, don't get all formal and weepy on us, Gid'." Aurelia chuckled. "Although, not that I'm at all adverse to humans asking me for my forgiveness."

"Give it a rest, giant pigeon." Tajic mocked playfully. Aurelia gasped on mock-offense and smacked him on the arm, commanding him to take it back and to "repent". Gideon couldn't help but watch and chuckle to himself, a small bit of him that had been dragged down for so long growing lighter. It hadn't been all that long in the grand scheme of things, but it felt like an eternity to him for when he had last been around such a lighthearted atmosphere. The laughter of friends- joking, poking fun, and smiling. He couldn't help but feel overwhelming emotion begin to swell inside his chest.

"Hey, Ajani!" Everyone looked up as someone else approached the table. Gideon immediately recognized her as Elspeth Tirel, the captain of the schools girl's lacrosse team and a big name on campus. She was everyone's big sister- everyone's friend. Between her and Aurelia, it was hard to tell which one of them was the angel.

"O-oh! Elspeth! I missed you in AP psyche yesterday- I- I mean, missed as in you weren't there..." Ajani stumbled over his words.

"I get it, I get it. I know what you mean." Elspeth laughed, fingers pressed to her lips. "That's actually why I'm here. I felt a little under the weather yesterday, so I wound up having to skip out. Did we have any homework, or did we take any notes...?"

"...We... We watched a video." Ajani responded- slowly at first, as if in a trance, but slowly coming to his senses as he shook his head and fluffed his mane. "You chose a good day to miss out- we didn't do much of anything."

" _Phew_ , that's a relief." Elspeth smiled, heaving a relieved sigh. "All of my other classes all assigned homework and reading- I even missed a quiz! I'm glad I at least get a little break."

"Y-yeah!" Ajani nodded clumsily. The two of them were awkwardly silent for a moment, Ajani open and closing his mouth as he searched for something more profound than a "yeah" and Elspeth shifted from foot to foot.

"... Er, well, I guess I should get going. There's a few professors I still need to talk to." She smiled, slowly making her exit. "See you in class?"

"Of course! Always!" Ajani perked up before immediately recoiling. "I... I mean, yeah. See you there."

With a wave and another, angelic smile, Elspeth scampered off, leaving everyone to sit in silence until she vanished from the common room. And then, once she was gone, a snort arose from someone at the table and a commotion slowly grew among the rest of them.

"Wow! Someone is crushing _hard!_ " Aurelia chortled, poking Ajani in the arm.

"I-I am not!" Ajani weakly protested.

"He's right, you know, it's not a crush." Tajic laughed. "It's full blown _love!_ "

"Put a sock in it, you guys!" Ajani groaned.

"I'd get a jump on it, if I were you." Gideon said, finally jumping onto the fray. "She's in her final year- she's graduating in a few months. And I hear she's choosing not to pursue Ravnica Academy's college program."

"Brave girl- even these days it's hard to be a mage among regular people. She's going to have to put up with a lot of shit in normy college." Aurelia sighed.

"You'd better get on with telling her soon or you'll miss your chance!" Someone at the table chuckled, followed by a small wave of laughter. Ajani laughed as well, but Gideon could see he wasn't as amused as everyone else. The way his form crumpled forward a bit, how he shook his head and looked down at the table- Ajani didn't find his situation funny at all.

"I've already missed my chance." He laughed weakly. "Me and her... it wouldn't ever work. She's a human and, hell, let's face it, I'm definitely not. It's a nice thought to have, but it's never going to happen. I should just give up..."

The feeling at the table grew solemn as everyone else grew quiet.

"Ajani, that's..." Aurelia struggled to speak.

"Yeah, I mean, you shouldn't..." Tajic, too, attempted to offer up words he couldn't quite fathom.

"Don't just give up like that." Gideon spoke up, his voice strong and determined. "You'll only live with your regrets if you just brush it off like that. If you love someone... you should fight for them."

"Wow, spoken like a guy who's in an actual relationship." Aurelia half gasped- half nervously chuckled. But her words didn't reach Gideon's ears. Jace was keeping himself at a distance and pushing him away, Avacyn was silent and hardly ever around and Liliana was nowhere to be found, but Chandra... the only thing between them was the few inches of wood that made up the door to her dorm room. He talked a big talk but... if that was all that remained between them- something so simple and small- why wasn't he fighting for Chandra? Why wasn't he...?

"Sorry, guys, I have to go."Gideon quickly apologized as he stood up and gathered his things.

"Where are you going? Lunch period is almost over!" Tajic asked.

"I forgot something at the dorms." Gideon explained. "Sorry, I'll talk to you guys later."

As fast as he could on crutches, Gideon rushed down the hallway, heading towards the main entrance. He was going to go back to the dorm's- back to that door he had stood outside so many times and left in defeat so many times, and this time he wasn't going to back down. Nothing was going to stop him- _nothing_!

"Ah, Mister Jura, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Except for someone calling out to him. Possibly out of habitual politeness, Gideon stumbled to a halt to find Baltrice leaning up against one of the lockers, a lit cigarette in her mouth despite being within the campus. The two of them stared one another down as Baltrice took a defiant drag of her cigarette and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air, glaring back at him through the haze.

"Whatever this is about, can it wait? I'm... a little busy here." Gideon asked as she pushed herself off of the lockers, cigarette now held between her lips.

"Too busy? Even if it's concerning your cute, little girlfriend?" She asked, half mumbling to keep the cigarette in her mouth. "I hear she got into... quite the accident the night of the dance."

"W-what? You know what happened to Chandra!?" Gideon gasped. Baltrice chuckled in her throat as she took another drag, in no hurry to impart the information that Gideon was clearly very desperate for. Her gaze was almost mocking as she approached him and flicked the ashes onto the floor. "Please, I need to know!"

"Do you really want to know? I don't think you'll be able to take the news as well as you think you can."

" _Please_!" Gideon begged, to which Baltrice rolled her eyes. She dropped her cigarette carelessly onto the ground and snuffed out the light with her boot. Without even missing a beat she had reached into her pocket, pulled out a nearly empty package of cigarettes and fished out another.

"Chandra Nalaar was raped." She said in a calm, level voice and a straight face. Gideon stared back at her, his mouth immediately falling open as his crutches clattered noisily to the ground. Baltrice hardly seemed to notice his emotional state as she snapped her fingers and summoned a flame to light her second cigarette (at least of the conversation, anyway).

"She... She was..."

"Raped, yes. Poor thing, I hear she's hardly come out of her dorm room since then. Not that I blame her, getting raped is quite a scarring experience- I should know." Baltrice nodded, blowing smoke as she talked.

"How... how do you know all this? You're not lying, are you?" Gideon stammered. "If this is a sick attempt at a joke, no one is amused."

"Oh, goodness, Jura, I wouldn't joke about something like this. It all happened- every last little bit." Baltrice paused to take yet another drag. "Trust me; I was there. You're sweet little Chandra's quite the screamer."

Almost instantaneously, Gideon lunged forward. It was seemingly instinctual as he grabbed the collar of her jacket and slammed her up against the lockers that lined the walls. Before he could even fathom what he was even doing, he had her pressed to the wall and lifted her high enough where she struggled to keep her toes on the ground. Despite all that, she hardly seemed at all frightened as he was surprised by his actions. But still, he held, drawing as close as he could as he snarled,

"What did you say?"

"Wow, stupid _and_ def. You really are nothing but a dumb jock." She laughed. Gideon growled threateningly as he pulled her towards him and slammed her body against the lockers again. The whole line of them rattled, and Baltrice gasped in pain.

"Do you really think you're in a position to be throwing out insults?" He snapped.

"Do _you_ really think you're in a position to be getting so angry?" Baltrice asked, narrowing her eyes. "Whether you like it or not, this was a long time coming."

"Oh, _really_?" Gideon frowned.

"Yes, really, you clod! And you have your sweet, little friendship with your dear Liliana to thank for all of this. What did she think would happen, going up against the most powerful, terrifying creature in the universe?" Baltrice chuckled, albeit strained as she reached up, attempting to pry Gideon's hands off of her. "Sooner or later, the shit was going to hit the fan, and you stood just a little close to miss Vess to come out of it all unscathed."

"You... you don't mean-?"

"Nicol Bolas: the true leader of the Infinite Consortium and my employer, so unless you don't want to have your other bones in your body broken, I suggest you take your grubby mitts off of me!" Baltrice spat. Gideon was quick to obey, letting go of Baltrice as she dropped to the ground. She straightened out her clothes and knelt down to pick up her cigarette that had fallen to the floor.

"Made me waste a perfectly good smoke..." She muttered.

"What does this have to do with Liliana? What did you mean by all that?" Gideon gasped.

"It means a lot of things, but mostly that she fucked up, and now you get to reap what she sewed." Baltrice sneered. "And who's to say that's the entire crop? We have a lot of things still in store for you- all of you, including your precious Chandra."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Would I? I've done a lot worse than orchestrate a sexual assault, trust me. And, really, snapping your girl's skinny little neck will be a lot easier than what I've already done to her- at least that I can do on my own without any help." Baltrice answered threateningly, watching in amusement as Gideon turned pale. "Not that I'd give her the satisfaction of such a quick death. I'm sure Nicol Bolas would like Liliana's friends to suffer slowly until they begged to die."

"Please... You can do whatever you can to me, just leave Chandra out of it!" Gideon pleaded. "She's suffered enough- and she hasn't done anything!"

"Befriending Liliana was plenty, trust me. It put her and you and all the rest of your little band of nobodies in our line of fire. And she would have roped you all into her scheme eventually. It's always better to snuff out an uprising before it happens- a lot less messy." Baltrice laughed. "But... I can see you're desperate, and I'm a reasonable girl. I can offer you up a deal so that Chandra will remain unscathed... well, as unscathed as she can be at this point."

"I'll do anything!"

"Then cut your ties with Liliana join us." Baltrice responded immediately. "Turn your back on that fool who dragged you unwillingly into her web of lies and pledge your elegance to Nicol Bolas and the ambitions of the Infinite Consortium. If you prove useful, Bolas will spare you and Chandra once this entire plane is dragged into a nightmare. He'll allow you a spark to leave this place and live in comfort with your damaged goods- oh, I mean, girlfriend."

"I... I..." Gideon fumbled for words, holding his head in one of his hands.

"I'll give you the rest of the day to think about it. Clearly this much thinking is a lot more taxing on you than I figured it would be- not that I should be surprised, coming from the guy who's sport of choice is often associated with brain damage." Baltrice snorted. "Meet us at the old abandoned church building on the edge of campus once you've made your decision. I trust you'll make the right choice- for the well being of your beloved."

Without another word, she slunk off, leaving Gideon standing in the empty hallway as the bell rang and students once again began to flood into the hallway. He could hardly move- hardly _breath._ All be could do was internally panic as he watched Baltrice vanish into the growing crowd.

" _I trust you'll make the right choice..."_

* * *

Gideon stood outside Chandra's dorm room, back pressed against the door and eyes focused skyward. He'd been standing out there in silence for longer than he liked to admit, searching for the words to possibly say. Part of him had hoped that maybe Chandra had left the room for one reason or another and he'd be able to see her and speak to her face-to-face, but curious glances at his phone led him to the alarming realization it had been close to _hours._ Something told him that, if she had left the room, she would have returned by now, and people passing by who had ventured by him before had begun to stare.

A deep breath- a second and then a third- and Gideon slowly turned to the door, lightly rapping on the wood. He waited to hear it- the quiet sound of sheets jerking in surprise, the tiniest gasp, just barely reaching his ears from inside. She was there, and despite the fact there was a strong feeling that his presence was unwelcome, Gideon stood fast, close enough to the door that he could rest his head against it as he spoke. He kept the hand he'd used to knock pressed to the wood as well, balling it into a fist and raising it above his head.

"Hey, Chandra... it's me." He began, each word needing to be forced out. Every inch of him- the logical, left-brained side of him that demanded he take more time to think- refused to let him speak easily. A thousand thoughts passed between single words. A thousand questions begged to be asked. "It's Gideon..." He added, as if trying to stall himself.

Chandra offered up nothing but silence, as always. That's all she had been those last few days- nothing. No words or sounds but she was there and he knew it. Now, at the very least, he knew he wasn't being ignored or shut out because she was cross with him. No... the reason for why had been much worse than that.

"I... I heard about what happened... I'm sorry I couldn't..." A knot tightened in Gideon's stomach and a warm lump grew in his throat. He didn't want to, but he went right on to imagine it- what had happened to her the night he could have saved her. He wondered- a painful, almost self-spiteful thought- how many times she'd cried out his name in hopes he would find her. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm... so sorry."

He tightly pressed his lips together, biting at the inside of his cheeks. If he didn't get a hold of himself, he'd only keep apologizing. And as much as he wanted to- hell, he was content with just saying it over and over again until every last iota of air had been squeezed from his lungs and on and on after that- there was so much more he needed to say. There was so much more he needed to cast into the silence that made up Chandra's place in his life now.

"I don't want to... I don't want to feel like I couldn't protect you again. I don't want you to get hurt like this again. And... things are only going to get worse if we keep going the way we are. I mean... what's the point of standing up to something evil if that thing is so much more powerful than you or me or anyone else we know? It's... it's going to end in failure... end up like this." Gideon chuckled bitterly to himself. "Maybe... doing what everyone thinks is the right thing is only going to get us hurt. Maybe it's time I just did what _I_ think it right for a change..."

He paused, waiting- maybe even hoping for Chandra to say something. But, again, like always, there was silence and not much else.

"I've been offered... at least a way to ensure your safety. A way to make sure something like this never happens again..." Gideon tightened his fist and clenched his teeth. "...By Nicol Bolas. And I just... I've been backed into a corner. Everyone is either gone or silent or different now and... I'm left with this only option."

_Chandra, please..._

"Please... say something..."

_Chandra, please, stop me..._

"Say _anything!_ "

_I need you to stop me!_

Despite his pleas, silence remained her only answer. The one voice he wanted to hear the most of all remained muted, offering up nothing but space between when Gideon stopped speaking and when he started speaking again.

"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be getting so upset..." Gideon apologized guiltily as he pried himself away from the door. "I'm going to do this for the both of us. If I don't... we're only going to keep getting hurt. It's not a decision I'm going to enjoy making, but... I have to, Chandra. I..." Gideon stopped himself before he apologized again like a broken record. Sorries weren't going to fix anything, or at least that's how he felt. "...I'll see you later."

Waiting a few seconds more, Gideon finally pulled himself away from the door and trudged down the hallway, a foul taste in his mouth despite telling himself over and over again that this was for the best. He felt no more lighter than he did when he had arrived. In fact, he couldn't help but feel even worse.

But, at his back, just beyond the door in the dark of the dorm room, Chandra felt even worse than that. There she stood, mouth still open, unable to relay any of the thoughts buzzing frantically about in her brain, her hand shaking and still hovering over the door handle. A tiny, choked squeak escaped her before she bit back a sob and sank to the floor.

"Wait..." She muttered to Gideon who had long since left. "Don't go... you idiot..."

They were such simple words, and yet they had been so difficult to say- as difficult as it had been to even consider opening the door and facing him again, as she was now. She was terrified of what he would see in her now- broken and used. A part of her was gone and it wasn't coming back, and she was convinced that it would show. He would handle her like a fragile, broken porcelain doll and look at her only with pity.

But now, she was faced with a decision that needed to be made faster than she was comfortable. Gideon was gone now, off to make some awful decision because he thought it was best for her- because she had gotten hurt when he wasn't around. It was an irrational decision at best, a total idiotic leap in logic at worse, and all she wanted to do was scream at him.

_Don't do something so unbelievably stupid for me!_

Chandra found herself at a crossroads: stay locked away for fear of what Gideon would say- what he would do when he saw the shambles of what she had become, and let him do something that might as well have been selling his soul to a demon, or clutch the door handle that her hand was still positioned right over and throw open the door and run after him, back into the world that had chewed her up and spit her out. The feeling running through her was nothing short of terror, and with a gasp as if she were being burned...

Chandra threw open her door.

Not even bothering to close the door behind her, not even thinking to go back and put on her shoes, she stumbled through the door and out into the hallway. The only measure she took the time to take was draw the hood of her jacket over her head and tighten the strings.

Frantically she made her way to the stairs, hoping that maybe Gideon had lingered there, but he was nowhere to be found. So she continued, hurling herself down the steps and slipping and falling halfway down and picking herself up in an almost panicked fashion. She couldn't wait even a minute to check to see if she'd hurt herself, stopping Gideon came first. She continued her clumsy gait until she flew through the doors leading outside.

"Gideon!" She shouted, but he was nowhere in sight. She jerked left, then right, the back to the direction she had originally been facing, but she couldn't find him. Every inch of her tingled, wanting desperately to move in some direction, but she hadn't the first clue where to go. Every second she took otherwise, Gideon was getting closer to making the stupidest decision of his entire short life, and with every second she took, her own fears were creeping closer and closer, oozing back into her mind. A part of her wanted to just give up and go back to hiding in her dorm room. She could see her breath with each heavy pant, and her bare feet were already beginning to sting from the cold. Tears began to collect around the edges of her vision as she began to whimper.

"He's going to the old abandoned church building on the edge of campus." A cold voice told her. Chandra snapped to attention and turned to see Jace standing a short distance away. He looked back at her with eyes that didn't seem to reflect anything back, and wore an expression of someone who was fighting against something and losing. "If you head there and go fast, you'll catch him."

"Jace! What happened to-" She began, taking a step toward him, but he drew back and furrowed his brow. Reaching up he clutched at his head, as I he was suddenly suffering from a horrible headache. Chandra stopped her advance and instead took a cautionary step back. There were so many questions she had- so many things she wanted to say. But time, it seemed, was hardly on her side at that point. Determination taking over, she whipped around and began running- at least, she was unable to look back towards Jace as she ran, but he was already gone by the time she had.

The old church building? She had been there once or twice before- not really to do anything all that important. A few childish attempts to preform seances when she was younger, nothing worthwhile. But she at least knew where it was. She picked up her pace, running as fast as she could on the icy sidewalk and trying her damnedest not to pay attention to how much the cold bit and clawed at her feet. She attempted to convince herself that if she ran faster, maybe the pain from the ice and snow would be less of an issue.

Turning a corner sharply and nearly eating it into a snow bank, she saw him, trudging in the direction of the church. She didn't have the time to think, she didn't have a plan. All Chandra could think to do was yell.

"GIDEON!"

He whipped around just as she got close enough to skid to a halt, sliding on the ice at breakneck speed. Looking him dead in the eyes, she acted impulsively and balled her hand into a tight fist, as if she were squeezing tightly all of her anxieties and her fears and choking them to death. With that image playing out in her mind, she thrust her fist forward, acting to deal with her overwhelming frustrations as well.

"YOU GIGANTIC IDIOT!"

Her fist connected with his cheek and sent him sailing backward into the snow. He grunted in pain and in surprise as he collapsed onto the ground, and before he could get a chance to get up, Chandra leaped on top of him and kept right on striking him- although her attacks had significantly less power than her first.

"Don't you dare think you have to do something so stupid to protect me! Don't you dare ever even think you have to do something like that! None of this was our fucking fault! None of this gives you any reason to make stupid decisions you big, dumb ASSHOLE!" She shouted, not even sure what she was saying herself other than the first things that came to mind. Tears flowed freely from her eyes now as she continued her tirade. "If having something awful happen to me is going to make you do something so unbelievably stupid, I'll protect myself, dammit! I'll fix myself to make sure you don't do something moronic thinking you're doing what's right! You... damn... moron..."

Gideon reached up and grasped Chandra's wrists. She gasped and struggled against him, but it hardly made any difference. She turned away, tears streaming down her face as she, for some reason, expected the worst and braced herself.

"Chandra..." Gideon's voice was overcome, but even more so it was warm as he freed her hands, sat up, and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"You... stupid... ass..." She mumbled through her tears as she slowly reached out to embrace him as well, her arms jerking back a few times before they came to rest around him.

"I know, I'm sorry, I know." Gideon said, his words muffled a bit as he nuzzled against her quivering shoulder. She wanted to pull away. A new instinct made her feel like she had to escape his embrace- made her think that she was going to get hurt. But, instead, she actively fought against it. Gideon was stupid, but he wasn't going to hurt her; she repeated that to herself in her head, over and over again.

"If you knew, you wouldn't be going to do it in the first place... you moron!" Chandra groaned.

"Chandra... I'm sorry..."

"I know you're sorry, but stop saying that!" Chandra pulled away, eyeing Gideon intensely. "What happened isn't your fault, you don't need to be sorry about it or try to make up for it! It... it wasn't your fault or my fault..."

"...I'm-"

"Say sorry one more time and I swear to the gods, I will punch you again!"

"Okay, okay, point taken..." Gideon chuckled weakly before the two of them sat in silence on the ground, her hands on his shoulders and his on her sides. For what felt like ages, they simply looked back at one another, staring into the eyes of the person they hadn't seen in what felt like a long, dark eternity- the person they had longed for the most.

"Look... I may be a little... damaged now..." Chandra sighed as she reached up and slowly removed her hood that was hiding her shaved head. She turned away, not wanting to see his reaction. "But I can still walk on my own. So don't feel like you have to carry my burdens, alright?"

Chandra gasped in surprise as she felt Gideon draw her into another, tight hug, their faces close enough to where the tips of their noses brushed against one another. He had no words to offer up, but his actions were enough. He still held her like he did before she was broken. He held her like she was still... her.

"...Let's go back." Chandra finally sighed as she pulled away and began to stand, only to realize just how cold her feet really were, and yelped. Gideon was quick to catch her as she fell forward and the both of them laughed awkwardly.

"Here I am calling you stupid and I'm the one who went running around without even a pair of socks..." Chandra muttered. "Maybe I'm the real idiot here."

"Nonsense." Gideon shook his head as he carefully set her down and shifted around so that his back was turned to her and crouched down. "And I know you made that whole speech about being able to walk on you own but... maybe this time I could help you out? Just this once?"

"Don't be a smartass..." Chandra huffed before looking to the side where Gideon's crutches had fallen to. "What about those? Don't you need them?"

"I'll be fine, I don't really need them anymore at this point, now hop on." Gideon assured her, staying crouched until Chandra hesitantly climbed onto his back. "You're a lot lighter than you look, anyway."

"What was that?" Chandra growled jokingly.

"Nothing, nothing!" Gideon laughed as he slowly rose to his feet. "...Hey, you don't mind if we don't go right back to the dorms, do you?"

"What? Where could we possibly go?" Chandra questioned.

"...It's a surprise, just trust me." Gideon chuckled as he began to move forward. "It won't take long, I promise."

* * *

"He's not coming, is he?" Baltrice rolled her eyes as Sarkhan Vol's icy voice echoed from behind her. She turned to him, glaring back in annoyance, but not offering up any words. "I told you trying to recruit Jura wasn't going to go over well. 'It's just going to be a waste of time' I remember telling you those exact words. And look where we are now."

"I get it, okay, I fucked up! You don't have to rub it in, smug asshole." Baltrice grumbled. "It's not like you're mister perfect."

"Well, at least your failed little attempt to try and drag Gideon down to our level didn't set us back completely. We still have a little bit of time before Aurelia succumbs to Bolas' curse, and we have plenty of other candidates to chose from. The minds of all the Boros members are hardly what you'd call fortified." Sarkhan sighed.

"What about Tajic, then? He has quite the foothold in the guild already, and even in normal circumstances I'm sure everyone else in Boros would look to him to lead in that little elitist angel's place." Baltrice offered up, staring daggers back at Sarkhan as she waited for him to shoot her idea down.

"Hm... I guess there is a reason Bolas hasn't fried you to a crisp yet." He admitted. "I suppose even idiots can have a few good ideas to their name."

"Haha, very fucking funny, asshole." Baltrice snarled. "Why don't you go back to kissing Bolas' fat dragon ass. We're done here."

* * *

"...Alright, you can open your eyes."

A short while into their journey, Gideon had insisted that Chandra close her eyes. She had reacted sarcastically, but humored him. At the very least, she could tell they'd ventured indoors, but other than that she had stayed true to her word and hadn't peeked the entire trip to... wherever it was they were.

"Alright, time to see where you've dragged me..." Chandra chortled as she opened her eyes to find they were in the school dance hall. The room was dark, save for the light that drifted in from the open door, and empty save for the two of them. She looked around curiously, looking for what in the world was so special about the place. "Okay... now what?"

Gideon laughed to himself as he knelt down and motioned for her to dismount. Chandra slid off of his back slowly, eyeing him suspiciously as he turned around to face her and held out a single hand for her to take.

"Now, we dance." He told her with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Chandra snorted.

"I'm serious!" Gideon insisted. "We really didn't get to share one the night of the party, and, well... I was kind of looking forward to it. So I figured... you know... better late than never?" Chandra heaved a single laugh through her nose, cocking an eyebrow like she was asking if he was serious, but taking his hand like he actually was.

"Well... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been looking forward to sharing at least one dance with you." She chuckled. "I guess I owe you at least one." She allowed herself to be pulled in, resting her one free hand on his shoulder while he rested his on her hip. "...Just try not to step on my feet, alright. One of us isn't wearing shoes."

"Noted." Gideon smiled as he took the lead- awkwardly at first, not dancing to any song or beat, but to the tune of Chandra laughing to herself, like they were doing the most ridiculous thing in the world, despite swaying from side to side right along with him. Eventually, they settled on a rhythm, and Chandra relaxed against him, drawing close on her own accord. She had laughed before, but it honestly did feel nice.

"Gideon... I love you." She said, feeling at ease. Gideon looked down at her, feeling his cheeks grow warm. He hoped that it was dark enough to hide his obvious blush as he answered.

"And I love... _Liliana!_ "

"I'm sorry, excuse me?" Chandra pulled away, narrowing her eyes.

"No- I mean- sorry, it's just... Liliana!" Gideon pointed to the door, Chandra turned around, coming to find what Gideon had seen: Liliana standing in the doorway, watching them and chuckling to herself.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" She smirked.

"No! I- I mean, yeah, I guess, but... where in the world have you been!?" Gideon asked, running over to her with Chandra drifting behind.

"What do you mean 'where have you been'?" Chandra questioned.

"Oh, sorry. Liliana up and vanished a while ago. Didn't even bother telling anyone where she went!" Gideon half explained- half scolded as he turned back towards Liliana who gave an apologetic shrug.

"Sorry, sorry, I just... needed some time to collect my thoughts." She explained, mood suddenly growing somber. "Everything has gone to shit and I needed some time to gather my resolve... alone. But I know I can't go it alone at this point, and I know I've gotten the two of you mixed up in all of this..." She bit her lip, looking down at the floor in shame.

"Please... I need you to help me!"


	33. The Devil's in the Details

Baltrice strode into the school newspaper staff's computer lab looking like she was there to commit a murder. Hardly anyone there seemed to really notice she was even there, though, all of them either typing away at their keyboards or glaring back at the screens, fist fulls of their hair in their hands or doing other odd, annoying habits. Of course, they weren't who she was there to see- no, the person who had called her there was the only one who wasn't hard at work writing up articles due the very next day. They sat at the back of the room like a ruler in their throne room being entertained by peasants, not taking their eyes off Baltrice for a second as she approached with an equally unwavering stare.

"Tibalt." She regarded sharply once she was in earshot- and at that point she made a point to stop before she drew too close to the devilish journalist. Tibalt chuckled a bit, as if her presence amused him, before he craned his neck to look around her at the other students who were all busy with their work.

"Leave us!" He commanded and, much to Baltrice's surprise, every single person who had been too wrapped up in their work to even consider acknowledging her existence stood up without protest or complaint and filled out of the computer lab. Baltrice looked from them back to Tibalt, who sneered from ear-to-ear, but said nothing to explain himself or why he'd called her there. Baltrice at least understood that- not wanting the common rabble to ease drop on what seemed like what was about to be a personal conversation- and waited until the sound of the door shutting echoed at her back before she spoke up.

"What do you want, dweeb? I'm a little too busy to feed you stuff your an article right now." She growled, folding her arms. Tibalt continued to smile menacingly as he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"...What the hell are you smiling about?"

"Baltrice, Baltrice, Baltrice, as impatient and foul-mouthed as ever." Tibalt laughed. "You've already given me quite a bit of juicy material. I just called you here for your... opinion."

"Of what, your stupid manner of dress or your shit personality?" Baltrice bit back, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you- you'll be regretting all that backtalk in a second." Tibalt snarled, still smiling, as he removed a manila envelope from off of the desk he was leaning up against. "Very soon, I'll have you begging."

"I'm quivering with anticipation." Baltrice grumbled sarcastically.

"Well, I do believe you when you say you're busy, so I'll cut to the chase. In fact, I know for a fact you've been a very busy girl." Tibalt continued on, shrugging off Baltrice's comment as he reached into the envelope. "Breaking Gideon Jura's leg..." He fished out a single photo and tossed it down at Baltrices feet- the photo paper brushing up against her boots. "And orchestrating a small mob to sexually assault Chandra Nalaar..." Again, another photo was thrown Baltrice's way. "And let's not forget your little fling with Tezzeret, the metal-working teacher..." Yet another photo fluttered to the ground, but this time Baltrice made a point to actually look down at it, her brow furrowing and a sharp frown forming on her lips and barring teeth. "All of that just on the night of the dance. I mean, the whole 'being in a sexual-relationship with a teacher' shtick is definitely something you would do, but why do such awful things to Gideon and Chandra? Certainly they haven't done anything to you..."

"When...?" Baltrice choked out, looking down at the photos at her feet- specifically the one of her and Tezzeret together. "When did you...?"

"Oh, and I have plenty more where that came from, trust me." Tibalt chuckled. "I made sure to capture all your good angles."

Baltrice took a threatening step forward, but all Tibalt had to do was hold up the envelope and she stopped in her tracks. He smirked triumphantly, an almost playful giggle building in his throat.

"You're a very interesting piece of work, Baltrice, as interesting as you were before when your little fling with Mister Rakdos made me a damn king among my writing peers. And now, you've given me enough power to even consider myself a god!" He boasted. "Not just your activities during the dance- I've been on your tail for a while. So, maybe you'll be a good little girl and tell me..." Tibalt paused to remove a pen he had tucked behind his ear and a pad of paper that had also been resting on the desk. "...Who exactly is Nicol Bolas?"

"E-excuse... me...?"

"Now, now, don't play dumb with me, it's much, _much_ too late for you to be playing innocent now." Tibalt snickered. "That man you keep on having all those secret meetings with- rumors have it that he's the real brains behind the Infinite Consortium... but who is he _really_?"

Baltrice glared back at him, choosing to remain tight lipped.

"Don't be shy now, it's better to confess your sins now than to let them eat you up inside." Tibalt sickeningly smiled. "I'm very close, you know, to solving this whole convoluted web you and that guild have been weaving here at school. I'm a lot smarter than you people take me for, and I'm about to prove it to you and every other asshole at this school who has thought of me as dirt at best and nothing at worst! I'm even drawing lines to what has begun to befall the guildleaders at this school: Zegana, Emmara, and... maybe even Niv Mizzet."

"That's _ENOUGH_!" Baltrice bellowed.

"I don't think so. _I'll_ say when it's enough this time! That is... unless you can find a way to _convince me_ I might- AAAAAUGH!" A sharp, stinging pain erupting from Tibalt's hand cut him off. At first, he simply figured Baltrice had done something, but she had hardly moved at all. Frantically he looked to see what had happened only to find he had rested it on the desk top, and a pen had been jabbed deep into it...

_His pen..._

_His pen that he was_ still holding _!_

"Wh...What...?" Tibalt stammered, unable to fathom how in the world he'd even managed to somehow accidentally stab himself in the hand. He obviously hadn't done it consciously- he hadn't even realized he had been doing it at all. What terrified him even more was that, try as he might, he couldn't move his hand to draw the pen out. It was as if his entire arm up to the shoulder was no longer connected to the rest of him- he couldn't even move his fingers. In fact, trying to will his hand to move seemed to make him grip the pen even tighter. "What did you... _do_!?"

"I didn't do anything. Can't you see that was all your doing?" Baltrice teased. "You took your pen and stabbed yourself in the hand. How could I have possibly done anything? I never even touched you."

"D-Don't fuck with me!" Tibalt shrieked. "I know by that smirk that you did... _something_!"

"Heh... well, I guess I'll have to admit, there was a bit of foul play, but I'm telling you the truth when I said _I_ didn't do anything... and that getting your hand stabbed is no one's fault but your own." Baltrice simpered as the door to the computer lab opened slowly. Tibalt hoped it was one of the school newspaper writers come to check in on the commotion, but his heart sank when he came to find someone else entirely walk through the door. "If you didn't threaten me like that, he wouldn't have had to act."

"Jace...? What are you doing with her!? What are you doing helping out this... _this bitch_!?" Tibalt shouted, still struggling to move his arm. Jace, who had just entered, glared back at him as if he were garbage a second before Tibalt's hand finally moved- if only to jerk the pen to one side while it was still piecing his other hand. He desperately screamed, flailing himself left and right in attempts to try and shake off his own hand.

"STOP! OH GODS, PLEASE _STOP_!"

"Not so much a glutton for pain you're so obsessed with when you're dishing it out yourself." Baltrice chuckled as she reached out and slipped the envelope out from under Tibalt's injured hand. "Did you really think you'd get away scot-free this time around, trying to use my private life to your advantage _again_? I learned my lesson when I tried confiding you the first time, when Rakdos turned his back on me. I thought of you as my friend, and you made my suffering a public display- a fucking side show! Now I think it's time you learned your lesson!"

"W-What? Do you think using mister m-mind control to... stab my hand and t-taking those photos is going to... stop me?" Tibalt smirked despite his position. "It's just my hand, and I can always print out more photos. All you're doing right now... is giving me more fire power."

"I don't think you know the full scope of what 'mind control' really means." Baltrice snickered. "Maybe we should give you a quick lesson."

Suddenly, Tibalt found himself in a battle with his own arm as he was forced to rip the pen he had jabbed into his hand out and turn the tip around towards his face. Gasping in fright, he managed to reach up and grasp at his wrist before his own hand stabbed him right between the eyes. The bloody tip of his pen was a short thrust away from burying itself into his skull, and Tibalt grunted in terror as he struggled to keep things from going that way.

"If you hadn't called me here to rub all your sneaky, dirty journalism nonsense in my face, maybe you could have avoided all of this." Baltrice grinned as she drew forward and loomed into his vision. "But now, you're under our radar now. All Jace has to do is hear you even consider _even an inkling_ of writing an article of anything you've uncovered, and he can end your pathetic little life. He can make it look like a suicide, or even cause you to forget how to breath. Either way you'll die, and I'll be the one laughing in the end!"

"Why not just kill me now then!?" Tibalt cried.

"Because..." Baltrice smirked widely. "...The Infinite Consortium and I can make use of you. If you join us, and be a good boy and don't do anything that will force our hand, when Nicol Bolas obtains what he wants here on this plane, you'll be duly rewarded."

"And if I don't...?"

"I already told you, we'll find a way to get rid of you, just like Exava." Baltrice explained.

"...Who... Who's Exava?" Tibalt asked. The name sounded familiar, like he had heard it before once, but every time he tried to concentrate and remember, his mind seemed to fog up. A shiver ran up his spine as he watched as the sickest of smiles spread across Baltrice's lips. Her eyes narrowed as she looked down at him, like a wild beast eyeing her prey. Her gaze and the look she gave him were so twisted, Tibalt could feel his stomach turn.

" _Exactly_."

* * *

Chandra had never seen Liliana look so desperate. She looked back at them vulnerably, hands clasped together as she begged for them to help her... but with what? Chandra could only figure it had to do with what had happened to her the night of the dance, and that refused to sit well with her. She wanted to help her friend with... whatever it even was she needed help with, but there was a layer of suspicion that covered all of Chandra's other emotions, like the snow on the ground outside- and it turned her cold.

"Of course we will, just say the word!" Gideon began to say before Chandra stuck her arm out and pushed him back. He jumped in surprise and Liliana looked back at her with concern, but neither of them said anything as Gideon allowed himself to be pushed back and Liliana stood her ground as Chandra approached her.

"You want our help, but you've been keeping things from us- a lot of things, I bet." Chandra grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "I think you at least owe me a very, _very_ long explanation- if what I was told was true, at least. Gauging from your reaction the last time I saw you, I can't help but believe what I was told." Liliana's form crumpled a bit as she nervously rubbed at her arm, her gaze traveling to the floor in shame.

"Told?" Gideon piped up from behind Chandra. "Told what?"

"What happened to me... What those people did to me... I was told they did it because of Liliana." Chandra muttered, balling her hands into fists. "I didn't want to believe it. I still don't want to believe it... but if it wasn't true, Liliana would have said something by now." She gritted her teeth angrily as she took a few steps more until her and Liliana were an arm's length apart- perfect for Chandra, who reached out and grabbed Liliana by the shoulder.

"What!? Liliana's fault!?" Gideon gasped. "But that doesn't make any sense! How could it have been...?"

"That's what I'm going to find out- I'd _better_ find out!" Chandra frowned as she turned her attention back to Liliana. "I'm not going to let you run away this time. If you need our help with something, you're going to have to earn it. Maybe not so much from Gideon, but definitely from me. You know what they did to me- they did a lot more than shave my head."

"I-I know..." Liliana stammered. "And I'm sorry..."

"Prove it!" Chandra growled, tightening her grip on her friend. "You're going to tell us everything- no more lies, no more secrets. I'm through with being lied to!"

"Alright, alright, just please, not here!" Liliana cried as she pulled away from Chandra's grip. She rubbed at her shoulder as she stumbled back. "I'll tell you everything, just somewhere more private. I don't want anyone listening in... this goes a lot deeper than me just telling you guys a few white lies for convenience's sake."

"A lot deeper like _how_?" Chandra asked, cocking an eyebrow suspiciously.

"...A _lot_ deeper." Liliana attempted to articulate. "It's a long, long story I haven't told anyone, not even Jace. I couldn't even tell him the complete truth, although he got something close enough to it."

"Well, this sounds like it's going to be interesting." Chandra huffed, turning to Gideon. "We just need somewhere where we're not going to get walked in on."

"W-what? Don't look at me, I don't know any place aside from back at the dorms." Gideon spoke up.

"No, not there." Liliana sighed. "There are eyes and ears all over this place- even in places where you think you're safe and alone."

"I know of a place." Someone from behind Liliana spoke.

"Well, looks like the gangs all here- well, almost anyway." Liliana said as she turned around to find Avacyn had dropped in on them without being noticed- just like always. "I'm sorry I left... I needed some time to collect my thoughts."

"I take it you're taking Jace's corruption pretty hard." Avacyn spoke plainly. "I know that was none of your intention, but still your deception is partially to blame for where we've found ourselves."

"I feel like we're missing something really big here." Gideon voiced as he approached the rest of them. "I've felt like that all week and, not going to lie, it's starting to get a little annoying. So... is it possible we could exchange cryptic small-talk a little later- maybe after you explain yourself, Liliana?"

"R-right..." Liliana uttered. "Avacyn... you said you knew a place?"

"Yes- a place where even Nicol Bolas' eyes and ears won't be able to reach us." Avacyn nodded. "If you'll please, it's not very far..." She stepped out of the way of the doorway of the dance hall. Chandra and Gideon nodded, both of them taking their exit before Liliana. However, before Liliana could do the same, she felt Avacyn lightly grab the sleeve of her jacket.

"U-um-"

"I'm glad you've returned." Avacyn spoke quietly, eyes focused away from Liliana. "Please... don't do something like that in the future."

"Heh, I missed you, too, Avacyn." Liliana smiled lightly as Avacyn looked up as if she was shocked- not by what Liliana had said, but by the presence of her own emotions. She opened her mouth to speak up, but seemed to think better of it and instead nodded. It was no longer for the reason that they needed Liliana for some sort of plan that Avacyn had been so distraught with Liliana's disappearance. It was simply that her friend had up and vanished without a word, and the fact she was back (even given the current circumstances) warmed the white-haired angel's heart.

"Hey, Avacyn, mind leading the way?" Chandra called out. "You're the only one who knows where we're going!" Avacyn looked to her and nodded before turning back to Liliana.

"Are you prepared for what might happen?" She asked.

"...If, in the end, they refuse to support me, I'll go it alone if I have to." Liliana spoke strongly. "I just don't want to keep them in the dark any more. At least, they deserve to know the truth... the whole truth. Them... and you."

"Mmn..." Avacyn nodded wisely before turning around and walking in the direction of Chandra and Gideon. Liliana remained where she stood a few minutes more, looking at everything she stood to lose. There they were, some of the only people in the world who she could actually call friends- the people she loved, and the people she had ultimately betrayed. Before, she had been completely fine with being alone- having no one to support her but herself. But now, the thought of losing even one of them made her stomach turn.

But she hadn't been lying when she said she would stand alone if she had to.

* * *

Avacyn remained silent, not sharing a word with anyone until they reached their destination: The room that held the school's security system. It was a small room mostly fitted with monitors and computers. None of them had ever been inside, but it was hardly anything worth being amazed over.

"Is this it?" Chandra asked. "I mean, privacy is nice and all, but it's a little cramped in here..."

"Not very many places to sit, either." Gideon remarked. "I hate to complain, but my leg is starting to kill me."

"Not to worry, this isn't where our journey ends." Avacyn assured them. "It would be, if we were anyone else here to do anything else. But given the present circumstances, I can permit you to know of this schools most well-kept, well-guarded secrets." She turned to one of the few walls that was actually empty and waved her hand once through the air, making a wide arc. The room shook slightly- just enough to cause dust that collected around the room to be displaced- before the wall opened up to reveal an even smaller room, walls made of glass that revealed only a stone shaft that the room was encased in on the other side.

"...Is that an elevator?" Liliana asked.

"We'll take it down to the place that, until now, only my father and I have known about for centuries." Avacyn explained. "The place that this school was built on top of to protect and to hide."

"Why? What's below the school?" Chandra asked. "I mean, besides the maze. I figure you're not talking about it since the _entire school_ knows about that by now." Avacyn chuckled softly in response as she walked into the elevator ahead of everyone else.

"You'll find out soon enough." She told her. "For now you'll just have to trust me. We don't have far to go now."

The three of them slowly filled in after Avacyn before she waved her hand a second time to close the door behind them. Almost immediately after that, the small chamber rumbled and began it's descent down into the depths below the school. At first, all that could be seen past the glass walls was the stone walls of the elevator shaft, but as they continued their journey down, in a flash, the shaft vanished from around them, and instead they came to find a vast chamber that stretched an impressive distance. Orbs of light that hung in the air and lazily drifted along, tethered by nothing, were all that lit the expansive room they now found themselves. And just below them, twisting and winding about like a labyrinth, were bookshelves lined with books.

"Is this... a _library_?" Chandra gasped as they began to reach the ground.

"Welcome to the Grand Ravnican Library- one of the last remaining relics of the Ravnica of old." Avacyn announced, sounding almost proud. "My father guarded this place for thousands of years before he built the school on top of it to make sure it would continue to go undiscovered. Here, you'll find boundless information regarding the Ravnica that has been lost to time and it's people; magics long forgotten, tales of heroes not a soul can even remember, records of people who have lived and died and lived again. Keeping and maintaining this library was all that kept my father sane."

"It's... huge!" Gideon said in awe. "It probably stretches below the entire city!"

"Thousands of years of literature can build up." Avacyn shrugged. "This place was already large enough back when old Ravnica still stood."

"...Are there books about, you know... planeswalking here?" Chandra dared to ask.

"I'm sure there is, but you could read about it all you wanted and your spark wouldn't reignite. We are still missing a key component that still is locked inside the maze. Until then, they're all just pretty stories of the worlds beyond this one and the aether that drifts and swirls between them- nothing more." Avacyn shook her head. "Believe me, my father has already tried."

The elevator shuddered to a halt once they reached the ground, surrounded by towering bookcases and lights that floated to and fro, avoiding the books, each other, and the four of them as they stepped out into the library. The room smelled of old paper and dust, and the air around them was just barely warmer than it had been outside. A breeze gently blew from somewhere in the library, as if the massive collection of books was welcoming them.

"The Grand Ravnican Library, huh..." Liliana said to herself as she looked around in what seemed like fascination.

"Don't forget why we're here, Lili." Chandra reminded her harshly. "This place is cool, I'll admit that, but we came here so you could explain yourself, not to ogle books."

"R-right..." Liliana stammered, keeping her back to her friends as she peered over her shoulder. "...Where should I begin?"

"Well... the beginning would be nice?" Chandra suggested sarcastically. "When you said 'everything' I trust you really did mean ' _everything_ '."

"Fine..." Liliana took a deep breath as she walked on ahead a short distance until she reached one of the bookshelves, running her fingers along the spines of the old books that had been gathered there. "Although 'the beginning' was hundreds of years ago."

"What do you mean?" Gideon questioned. "How deep does this entire story go? Surely stuff that happened that long ago is hardly relevant."

"It is... because I was a child around that time." Liliana admitted. "A pact the old Liliana Vess made with demons thousands of years ago has left me cursed- cursed to watch as people lived and died while I remained youthful, and with powers that made my own parents fear me. You think mages are discriminated against now? At least you're allowed to live once people catch wind that you have powers." She paused, waiting for any of them to say anything, but it seemed she had shocked them into silence, so she continued on, afraid that if she stopped she would chicken out completely.

"Of course, back then I wasn't aware it was because of a curse- wasn't aware I'd outlive any of my family had they been allowed to live out their natural lives. I think it was when I brought a pet cat of mine that had died back from the dead that my parents came to find their daughter was actually a necromancer. And... this is usually where the lies start. I tell them my parents cast me out, but in reality they hid me away. They wanted to love me despite it all, and didn't want the rest of the people who lived in our town to discover I was a mage, so I was made to live out my days locked inside of my home. At the very least my family was well enough off, so my home that became my prison was large enough where I didn't go mad, at least.

"Our country was at war at the time, some trifle over territory or something, I can't remember much of the small details I wouldn't have really cared much about as a child. But my brother was called away to fight, and he proudly took up arms. I loved my brother very much, he was probably the most important person I had in my life. Even after my parents found out I was a necromancer, he treated me as if nothing had changed- like I was still a regular human. So... it devastated me when I came to learn he had fallen in battle. I lost the one thing that tethered me to the life I lived before I awoke as a mage, the person who made me feel like I was still... me. And I wanted him back."

"You didn't..." Avacyn gasped quietly.

"At the time I felt like I didn't have a choice. I thought everyone would be so happy... I thought things would go back to the way they were if I brought him back... But I didn't bring my brother back- I just animated a corpse and turned it into a shambling, flesh-hungry zombie. He tore through two of our maids before I could stop him. He obeyed me, he listened to me... but I could tell he wasn't my brother- not any more, at least. He was just an undead creature that only obeyed my will because it was my power that animated his body. His body moved, but my brother was still long gone.

"My parents locked him in the cellar of our house, and all day and all night we could hear him groaning and moaning right below us, as if he were begging me to send him back to the land of the dead. But I couldn't bring myself to do it, and my parents weren't strong enough to bring him down. And if they inquired help, it would raise suspicion of how in the world he'd even come back in the first place. We were stuck with him and the sickening reminder of what I had done.

"I was the only one who could venture down into the cellar and feed him without the danger of being mauled. And even if he was just a lumbering sack of rotting flesh, I spoke to him as if he were still completely there. I hoped against all else that one day he could comfort me without being commanded, that he would hold me in his arms and whisper that everything was alright. But all he would do was gurgle and moan and snarf down rotting meat I brought for him to keep him tame. It was a routine that threatened to drive me completely mad. So... I set him free, figuring he could just shamble away and never come back."

Liliana paused again as she wrapped her arms around herself. She clearly looked as if she were in pain, holding back emotion she didn't want to burst out of her just yet.

"...Did he come back?" Gideon asked cautiously.

"...In pieces." Liliana eventually responded. "Instead of just leaving altogether, my brother found his way to town and attacked people. He killed a lot of them- men, women and children- before they brought him, and the people he managed to turn down. And by that time they were furious. They recognized him as the oldest son of my parents, so in a fear-induced rage, they decided that they were to blame. In the cover of night, they erected a mob and invaded my home. I hid myself in my room where I got to hear them kill every last member of my household. And I was helpless to do anything- well, anything but attempt to escape.

"But I didn't get far before the townsfolk found me. Had fate not sickly smiled at me that day, I might have died, but instead I was saved by a wall of fire that burned every last member of the mob to cinders- an all-consuming flame that reduced the entire village to ash, save for me. A dragon paid my town a visit that night, and saw it fit to eradicate every single person there, save for me. They were my savior, I owed them my life and they gladly took me up on my offer. And that dragon... was Nicol Bolas."

"Bolas!? Why would he bother saving you- why would he bother saving anyone?" Avacyn asked in disbelief. "He hardly seems the charitable type."

"Maybe he knew that I was needed in order to help Jace open up the maze. Once he caught wind that I had been reborn on Ravnica he took the very first chance he could to swoop in and gain my trust. But as I grew and served him, he fed me nothing but lies. He told me my agelessness was a gift given to me along with my powers, not breathing a word about demons or my past life to me. For a very, very long time I lived a very comfortable, long life as his servant. I came to notice he treated me different than all the others- he was easier on me, more delicate. He kept me out of harm's way and made sure I was well taken care of, even when I could easily fend for myself. And for the longest time, I thought it was simply because he cared. I was nothing but a fool to believe something like that.

"When this school was first built, Bolas sent me here on an extended reconnaissance mission. I felt it really strange that he insisted on being incredibly vague, but I did as I was told. I wasn't to enroll, just stay there for an extended period of time, and I was given more than enough funds to support myself there while I did more or less nothing but mill around the campus. I didn't understand why I had been sent there, but I took my mission as seriously as I could. I befriended a student- Emmara, as a matter of fact- and used her to gather information, albeit it was all really harmless and unimportant. I didn't rally do much of anything for three, long years. But the fourth year I was stationed here I decided to get serious.

"I infiltrated the campus one night, determined to find just what it was I had been sent there to find. I could have found a lot of things, this school is full of secrets, but I stumbled across one thing in-particular." Liliana stopped to gaze up at the walls and walls of books, her vision sweeping across the grand expanse of tomes. "I found this library... of course, back then I had to take stairs to get here."

"H-how!? Even back then our magical defenses protecting this place were-" Avacyn began to shout, sounding a mixture of shocked and angry.

"You forget I was practically raised by Bolas. In that time he taught me enough to break into places even as guarded as this, at least." Liliana explained. "I didn't take anything, and I'm sure you would have noticed anything going missing by now. But I was curious, intrigued and altogether amazed by this place. I forgot my mission, whatever it had been, and instead spent my nights sneaking into this place, and learning. And eventually, that led to me uncovering knowledge Bolas had saw fit to hide from me: knowledge of the Liliana Vess who came before me, the Ravnica that had come before me, and the tyrant known as Nicol Bolas.

"I was shocked about my findings, and I was angry about not having ever been told. The creature who had cared for me all those years had kept me in a haze- kept me stupid. I called upon him one night and demanded he tell me the whole truth. I expected a lot of things, but his anger that trumped mine wasn't one of them. The creature who had kept me safe from harm for years became a demon of fire and wrath before my very eyes. What he told me still chills me to the bone, so much I can quote him word-for-word: 'You're time on this plane is going to come to an end soon. The demons the old Liliana Vess sold her soul to are soon going to come to collect a payment that is thousands of years overdue. Without me, you will face a fate worse than death: an eternity of suffering and fire. Without me, you're nothing.' I've never been so terrified...

"Ever since then, our relationship grew cold, me now knowing that he was using me, and knowing I could do nothing about it. I served him grudgingly until he sent me here with one of his... other servants, Baltrice. I have no idea why she's so integral to his plan, I never met her until we were sent here, and she's done nothing but faff around. I, however, was given the task of luring in Jace Beleren, befriending him and earning his trust and his affection until he was wrapped around my little finger and listened to everything I said. Those were my intentions at the start... but it seems I'm a lot less heartless than I originally figured I was. My acting was no longer that, and what I was doing sickened me."

"So... what happened to me and Gideon was...?" Chandra began to say.

"Bolas' way of punishing me for turning against him, yes. And he's done a fine job of it, hurting Gideon and almost breaking you... and I let him take Jace. Somehow... I haven't the slightest idea, he managed to take him and make him his puppet... and it's all my fault." Liliana hung her head, hiding her face as she felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "I fucked up... I really fucked up... I'm sorry."

"So Nicol Bolas has gained control of Jace now...? I ws beginning to wonder... That makes things a little harder." Avacyn muttered to herself.

"A _little_?" Liliana asked, growing hysterical. "We've lost! Jace is his one-way ticket to taking this plane and sending it straight to hell, and it's all my fault!"

"It could be... or he simply decided your betrayal was a fine enough reason to put his plans into motion." Avacyn said thoughtfully. "You've quite the collection of mistakes, but you haven't lost the battle for us, despite how Nicol Bolas will more than likely boast. We've lost Jace, but we aren't without aid to try and stop him." She turned her gaze to Gideon and Chandra, who had been standing in shocked silence. Liliana turned to them as well, mouth open and ready to say something- anything to convince them not to abandon her.

"Chandra... Gideon... I-" She began, but Chandra raised her hand, motioning for her not to continue on with whatever it was she wanted to say.

"I'm not going to sugar coat things and pretend like what happened to me and Gideon wasn't because of you..." She sighed. "But you did it with the best intentions, and it sounds like you didn't mean to things to get this far."

"You've been through enough shit, it sounds like. What kind of people would we be if we put you through even more?" Gideon added. "We'll help you, if not because you're our friend, then because this is our home, and I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we're more than willing to defend it again, just like we tried to do all those years ago."

"And this time we're going to actually kick some dragon ass!" Chandra quipped. "This isn't over, not yet, not even close!"

"We have thousands of years of knowledge on our side- spells, weaponry, anything we might require." Avacyn assured. "He's won the battle, but Nicol Bolas isn't going to win the war, and this plane will not be his prize. So long as you stand with us, Liliana, we'll stand with you. We always have."

"You guys..." Liliana sobbed, rubbing at her eyes frantically.

"Hey, now, don't get all emotional on us now!" Chandra teased. "Crying really doesn't suit you anyway."

"You're one to talk about looks that don't suit a person..." Liliana mumbled as she finished rubbing her eyes.

"If you say one more word about my hair, I'm going to light yours on fire so we can match." Chandra jokingly threatened.

"Right, sorry, sorry..." Liliana chuckled before turning back the the walls and walls of books that stood before them. Maybe somewhere among them, there might be some sort of key to winning back what had been lost- to rise above what felt like an insurmountable challenge. At that point in time, she could only hope.


	34. Ashes to Ashes

"It's been a very long time, hasn't it?"

Baltrice heaved an almost dreamy sigh as she walked out of the shadows and into the dim candle light. The Rakdos guild's meeting room- one of the rooms that branched off from the theater- was empty, save for Baltrice and her one, silent companion, sitting nearly motionless in a chair that had been set up in the middle of the room. She smiled- a grin maybe a little too sweet, so much it seemed sinister. Not that her companion noticed or cared, they just stared down at the floor, swaying slightly back and forth, arms limply hanging at their sides and a slimy trickle of drool slowly trailing their lips. Baltrice approached them, reaching out and gently ran her fingers under their chin before coaxing them to look at her- an act that was hardly any more difficult that moving a lifeless doll. She chuckled lightly, her smile turning slightly into a smirk.

"... My dear, dear Rakdos."

Just like most of non-human faculty whose form would otherwise hinder their jobs, Rakdos took human form, as he did then, the only thing eluding to the fact he was actually a lot more demonic than he ever let on being the more reddish hue of his skin and what resembled the beginnings of horns poking out from his forehead. Normally, the demon had a more opposing air about him but now there was hardly anything threatening about him in the least as Baltrice leaned against him in a manner that seemed to both attempt to seduce him and mock him: brushing her knee against his thigh and resting her other hand on his shoulder.

"Did you miss me?" She asked, her tone growing more and more acidic as she went on. "Have you been thinking of me- how deeply you _fucked me over_? How you _broke my heart_? Have you been thinking of me while you plow _that spiteful cow, Exava_?" She tightened her grip on his chin for a quick second before regaining her composure. Taking a long, deep breath she unhanded him, allowing his head to drop back down, his chin resting against his chest.

"It's aaaaaalllll water under the bridge for me. _I'm_ perfectly fine- maybe even better off without you. If anything I now see how much of a real bastard you really were." She went on, removing herself from him to start pacing around him. "I've even found someone better. So... no hard feelings?"

Rakdos answered with silence, but Baltrice hardly seemed to care as she circled back around to stand in front of him once more.

"I've waited a very long time for this, you know? I've worked my way through your precious little fuck buddy, Exava, and now she's on her way to hardly even being a concept. And that traitorous rat, Tibalt, is now comfortably under my thumb. I've gotten back at every single wretch as this putrid school who ever did me wrong... except for you." She reached out and grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled his head back so that he was forced to look back at her- albeit with glazed-over eyes and a blank expression. "I've saved your ass for last. After all, you mean _so much to me_." She chuckled to herself before leaning in close and dropping her voice to a volume that was barely louder than a sharp whisper.

"You took something very important away from me you know. You robbed me, used me and then threw me to the curb when some new piece of ass came along!" She snapped. "Now... I'm going to do the same to you. Nicol Bolas doesn't find it fit to leave you sitting on your throne here in your precious little guild, and we unanimously decided that Exava wasn't proper material, either. And useless things must be... disposed of- both her and you.

"Not to worry, though, your guild you're about to leave behind is in good hands- my hands. I'll suck this guild dry of every last resource it could provide, and when it no longer has the ability to sate my needs, I'll cast it aside- just like you did me." An ugly frown formed on Baltrice's lips for a moment as she turned away from Rakdos.

"I loved you, you know?" She muttered through clenched teeth. "I didn't give you everything I had thinking you were just another fling. I loved you... more than I could bear... And now I hate you more than I can bear..." She shook her head and brought herself back to being face-to-face with him.

"What even was I to you?" She asked, voice genuinely filled with emotion. And, for the first time during the entire one-sided conversation, Baltrice seemed genuinely upset that Rakdos wasn't answering back. Her entire body tensed up as she looked down at the floor, her shoulders shaking furiously. It seemed, at first, she was readying a scream, but all at once she relaxed, the furious grumbling that had been building in her throat dissolving into laughter.

"It doesn't matter now. None of this matters anymore..." She chuckled darkly. "Though I sometimes wonder how things would have turned out if you hadn't spurred me- how absolutely weak I would have been. I guess I have at least that to thank you for. And for that... you deserve a little reward..." She lifted her head once more and leaned in, her lips dangerously close to his.

A sickening, squelching noise filled the silent room, and Baltrice sneered widely.

"Oops..." She snickered as she looked down at Rakdos' gut where she had buried the blade of a knife she had kept hidden in her jacket. "My hand slipped." Rakdos made a guttural noise, his eyes growing wide as Baltrice twisted the knife in his stomach. Blood leaked from his mouth, mingling with the saliva that had been oozing from his lips. Unable to hold back a shriek of pure, sick glee, Baltrice ripped the knife out from Rakdos' gut and jabbed it in once more, this time through his chest. She left the knife buried deep as she took a wide step back.

"I win." She declared before Rakdos' body burst into flames. Honestly, she could have just simply set his body on fire to begin with, but there was no way she was going to deny herself the chance to get up close and personal with her final act of revenge. Simply lighting him up wouldn't have been as satisfying as getting the demon's blood on her hands. She looked down at her hands, dyed crimson to her wrists, and laughed- not so much in victory, but in satisfaction.

"Jace!" She called out into the shadows, the reason for Rakdos' broken state emerging from the darkness. He looked back at her, eyes full of nothing but hate but saying nothing. "Clean up this mess once his body's been burned to ashes. Then gather the Rakdos guild members- it seems they're going to have to vote on a new leader on account of the last one getting..." She peered over her shoulder at the inferno that had engulfed her former lover. "...Fired."

"What do you plan on doing with the Rakdos guild once you're the leader?" Jace asked. Baltrice looked back at him in surprise at first, not having expected Jace to speak. But then she smiled back and grasped his chin in an almost taunting way, squeezing his cheeks between her bloody fingers.

"You heard me. I'm going to use them until they're of no use to me. Then... well..." She chuckled, her shoulders shaking in delight. "I guess the phrase 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust' will be more than appropriate for what will happen after that."

* * *

Sorin glanced over the papers he had spread across his desk, each one more concerning than the last. For all of the paper that was there, they were all the same type of paperwork: papers detailing the election of new guildleaders. Before then, seeing even one of them was a rarity, but now he had an impressive collection to look over, and hardly any of it sat well with him. They seemed to be coming in, one after the other, and this close to the maze running something didn't seem right.

Niv Mizzet had died under mysterious circumstances and was replaced by Ral Zarek, a trusted member of the guild, so it hardly posed much concern when it had happened. Emmara Tandris had fallen ill and slipped into a coma and was replaced by Garruk Wilspeaker, a member of the guild who attended nightclasses after a long history of violence. That was the first instance where something didn't seem right, but he had dismissed it, figuring it was an act of desperation from Selesnya. Then came Simic's guildleader, Zegana, who had also met the same fate as Emmara and was replaced by a younger member of the guild, Kiora Atua. She hardly had any presence in the guild when it came to her rank, and there were a large handful of people Sorin could think of at the top of his head that were more fit for the role. Within the last few days, almost back to back even, both Aurelia and Isperia had stepped down from their roles as guildleader and, from Sorin had heard, they were both in the hospital. Tajic of Boros and Lavinia of Azorius had taken over for their former guildleaders, at least giving Sorin a little peace of mind about what would become of either guild.

"Is it some kind of disease?" He thought aloud to himself. Aside from Niv Mizzet, all of the other guildleaders seemed to be leaving their posts due to some sort of sickness that appeared to effect the mind before forcing them into a coma. Sorin almost questioned whether or not it was some sort of epidemic that was worth closing the school for. Had it not been such a dire time, he would have considered the possibility all the more. But the maze just below the school seemed to make decision making all the more difficult.

"Father, if I may enter...?" Sorin looked up from his desk to find Avacyn peering in, looking a mixture of worried and exhausted. It was a look she seemed to wear more and more often those days, the stress of what was happening with the guilds potentially getting to her.

"What is it, Avacyn?" He asked moments before she walked in and had his question answered without a word from his daughter. She held carefully in both hands a paper similar to the ones he had been looking over. He looked back at her in disbelief, his mouth falling open. "A-Another one?"

"Yes... Mister Rakdos has gone missing, if you recall." She began.

"And I'd hoped he'd turn up by now. It seemed a little odd for him to suddenly become absent without any notice, but he's a grown man and a creature powerful enough to manage himself at that." Sorin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"It seems the members of Rakdos have grown impatient and have voted to elect a new guildleader." Avacyn continued, bowing her head shamefully. "They have chosen to have Baltrice, of the night class, to lead them during the maze running."

Sorin raised an eyebrow at the name. The incident that had happened between Baltrice and Rakdos still lived in infamy at the school. It seemed incredibly odd that the guild, that had turned their back on Baltrice to support their guildleader in his decisions, would elect the very girl they had thrown under the bus to lead them. There was desperation and then there was doing something completely out of character for no reason. Even with Exava gone, who regularly represented Rakdos during guild meetings, there were dozens of other members who seemed more likely to get the spot, if it ever became available.

"...Wait." Sorin said thoughtfully. "Baltrice cut ties with the Rakdos guild. Last I checked she was a member of the Infinite Consortium."

"I also have her papers detailing her resignation from the Infinite Consortium. It seems she was more than happy to switch guilds when she was given the opportunity to lead..." Avacyn muttered, shuffling where she stood. It wasn't something all that hard to pick up on, and it hardly seemed the type of reaction to a strange changing of the guard. Sorin knew his daughter- there was something she wasn't telling him.

There was something she hadn't been telling him for a very long time.

"Don't you think it's about time we stopped keeping secrets?" Sorin asked. "You've been looking guilty for a few days now, like you know something I don't. I assure you, keeping secrets from me isn't going to help in the slightest." Avacyn audibly gulped, holding the papers close to her chest.

"...I... I don't-"

"Out with it Avacyn." Sorin spoke coldly, giving his daughter a chilling glare. "Now isn't the time to keep things to yourself."

"...I'm afraid the situation has become a lot more dire than we had originally assumed, sir." Avacyn spoke with her head bowed. Whatever it was, it must be serious enough for her to drop back into referring to him as "sir". "...Bolas has... forcefully taken control of Jace Beleren. According to Liliana Vess, he forced Jace's hand in joining him."

"He... he what?" Sorin staggered backward. "...That wasn't as we agreed."

"It seems... Bolas has given up playing by the rules that were established." Avacyn continued, looking increasingly more and more uncomfortable. "I had planned on solving the problem myself- trying to find a way to stop Bolas on my own with information from the library... I didn't want to worry you any more than you already are."

"Avacyn... you..." Sorin's brow furrowed and his body grew tense. Avacyn flinched where she stood as Sorin walked out from behind his desk, her eyes squeezed shut as she waited for whatever punishment that was about to befall her.

"I'm sorry, sir!" She cried. "I thought that I could find something to fix the situation before it became too dire! Please, forgive me!" She was met with silence that was both chilling and confusing. A sick sense of curiosity motivated her to open one eye, and then they other, coming to find she was standing all alone in the dean's office, the doors to the room open behind her where Sorin had exited. Unable to find the strength to follow after him, Avacyn dropped to her knees, hanging her head in defeat.

"...I'm sorry..."

Meanwhile, Sorin stormed down the dark hallways of the school, growing increasingly more and more furious with every step. Everything was starting to make sense- Niv Mizet's death, the strange illness taking hold of the guildleaders, and the strange actions being taken by the guilds. It seemed that Nicol Bolas had been choosing to break the rules of their game long before then. Sorin wasn't sure whether to be shocked or not even surprised. The only thing he knew for certain he could feel was a lingering sense of dread.

* * *

Nicol Bolas wasn't a hard creature to get into contact with- so long as whoever had called him was worth his time, anyway- but he certainly loved taking his time. In the very few times Sorin had allowed himself to meet with the dragon, alone and face-to-face, it was always after at least a good hour of waiting. What could he possibly be doing that he couldn't have done hundreds of years sooner? Sorin could only assume the dragon enjoyed making him wait, because he knew that he would. Given the circumstances, Bolas probably knew for a very concrete fact that Sorin would wait until sunrise, if need be.

Withholding a sigh, Sorin looked over the rotting and crumbling landscape of the old city of Ravnica. Standing atop the tallest building left standing in the ruins of the once proud metropolis, the winter wind whipped past him, chilling his already cold skin. He hated waiting there, forced to look down at the city he and all the others who had come to fight against Bolas had failed to save. Even though it was thousands of years behind him, he could still hear the screams. There were a lot of things he could remember- some more vivid than others- but those were what he remembered the most.

All at once he was roused from his morbid thoughts as a shadow fell over the rooftop, blotting out the pale light of the moon and drenching the already dark meeting place in further, deeper darkness. Sorin turned to find Nicol Bolas, in all of his scaly, winged glory looming over him, expression resembling a smirk and revealing rows of jagged teeth. His hot breath warmed the air around Sorin, and the flapping of his massive wings cooled it. Sorin felt a shiver run up his spine, but he dared not show it.

"My, Sorin, it has been simply _ages_. I don't think I've gotten to talk to you dragon-to-vampire for at least a few hundred years." Bolas chuckled. "The fact you've summoned me here and your delicate little angel isn't here to greet me means this _must_ be a serious matter."

"Then you'll come down here and speak with me face-to-face. Speaking to you like this makes it feel like you're not taking _me_ seriously." Sorin bit back. A deep, rumbling chortle vibrated in Bolas' throat that seemed to shake the very foundation of the building they were meeting upon. Sorin dared not say that speaking to the dragon as he was then made him uncomfortable, but Bolas seemed to realize this without needing to be told, given the laughter.

"If you so insist." Bolas laughed, giving in to Sorin's demand despite his mocking laughter as his body began to shift and change. Skin rippled and folded and scales flattened down in a sickening manner, but Sorin watched the process unblinkingly until the once towering dragon had shrunken down into the form of an attractive young woman- an appearance to which Sorin wrinkled his nose. "Will this do?"

"Even if it wasn't, I doubt you'd further humor me, and we're burning moonlight as it is." Sorin responded sharply.

"I suppose you have a point." Bolas shrugged, slowly beginning to saunter closer. "Now, what is it that you find so important that you had to call me here? I'm a very busy creature these days- final stretch in this silly little game of ours and all."

"That's exactly why I called you here." Sorin grumbled, fighting off the urge to meet every step Nicol Bolas took with a wide step back. He didn't want the beast anywhere near him, and even a fair distance away across the rooftop was close enough. "...I've come to learn that you've gained Jace Beleren's favor, and that he'll be running the maze in your name."

"Ah, yes, that I have, though I have very little doubt you'll do everything in your power to stop me even now. You're not one to throw in the towel so easily- it's what I love about you." Bolas sneered. "I like it when my prey doesn't come quietly. It makes snapping the neck much more satisfying when they've put up a fight."

"I've also learned you may have done so through means that were against our agreed pact- and that you've been doing other things around the school that are also against what we agreed upon." Sorin's brow furrowed. "I took it before that you were a creature of your word."

"Is this where you expect me to try and explain away what I've done then?" Bolas said in a surprising twist. "Thousands of years and you're just now catching on to the fact I haven't been playing by your silly little rules? Even with them in place, it put you at an unfair advantage. Rules that are only favorable to one party are meant to be broken from the start. So yes, I did force Jace Beleren's into joining me, though I've set things up to do so for a very, _very_ long time."

"What do you mean?" Sorin questioned, raising an eyebrow and frowning sharply. Bolas threw his head back slightly and laughed. The way he acted seemed he was altogether giddy about the whole ordeal, like he had been waiting ages to explain his plans for Sorin.

"Tell me, Sorin, have you heard of the pharmaceutical company, Dragon Scale Pharmaceuticals? It's quite an old company, building originally from a company that serviced magic folk, creating medications that helped with magic-related ailments. Given their dealings were for the greater good, they probably slipped under your radar..." A sickening smirk stretched across Bolas' red-painted lips. "...As intended."

"You-!"

"Uh, uh, uh, no interrupting. Take a page from your obedient students you lord over and keep your comments until the end." Bolas smirked. "I created Dragon Scale Pharmaceuticals a while back. While you were busy building this silly school I was busy building up my trump card. Imagine just how amazing it was for those poor, sick magic folk when drugs specifically made for them came on the market. They literally lapped it up! But within ever pill my company manufactures, a little bit of my own... personal touch is put into the mix, and whoever ingests them are then susceptible to having their will come under my control at any time.

"We've bought out several other pharmaceutical companies since our founding, to the point where we service regular humans as well. I could snap my fingers and a great deal of people on this plane could suddenly have their hearts stop."

"You wouldn't dare!" Sorin snarled.

"Of course I wouldn't. The poor, stupid souls of this plane will soon serve a higher purpose. To kill them all would be a foolish move on my part." Bolas assured him with a sneer. "But I can make them do other things- force them to make decisions in my favor, bend them to my will or even, for example, putting them into a coma that no medicine or magic will wake them from."

"So that _was_ you..." Sorin growled.

"Some people are... best removed, I suppose. It would raise more suspicion if they suddenly began acting out of character, don't you think? As jarring as it is to have both students and staff suddenly fall into an unbreakable sleep, it would turn less heads and life at your silly little academy will go on as if nothing was really wrong. As complacent and weak as children have gotten these days it would still be troublesome if they all found reason to rally against me." Bolas explained. "And I doubt you'll forcefully rouse them to fight, after seeing what became of them all the first time they were all called to do battle against me as a people who were actually fit to do battle."

"And Jace?"

"Jace's pain medication he took for his headaches were made by my company, so all I had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to, well, force his hand." Bolas disclosed. "I've carried on this way for years. Even some of the people I have working for me now are doing so because I took away their ability to stand against me. And you never once noticed a thing- what? Is age finally beginning to take it's toll?"

In a flash, in between Bolas' spoken words, Sorin lunged at the disguised dragon, drawing out his blade he had kept sheathed at his side. It was a desperate attempt, and even he knew it, but in the end he felt he might as well get it out of the way, hoping that maybe he'd catch the creature off-guard mid-gloat by some miracle. However, as he thrust his blade forward, something leaped between Bolas and the blade, and Sorin was forced to stop his assault, the tip of his blade a quick thrust away from piercing whatever had come between and Nicol Bolas.

Much to Sorin's shock it was Jace Beleren, looking back at Sorin more like he was just empty air than someone pointing a blade right at his throat.

"Don't get too hasty, now, or you might end up with a bit more collateral damage than you were expecting." Bolas laughed. "It would probably eat you up inside if you killed the one person who could free you and I from this madness."

"What makes you think I won't?" Sorin snapped. "I'm a patient man. I can wait around another thousand years or so if it means ruining your plans. My existence isn't tied so closely to mana on this plane as yours is. Maybe I'll even get to see you die out before Jace Beleren resurfaces again. And with the knowledge I have now, I can spend my time getting rid of everything you've built up until now while I wait." He pressed the tip of the blade against Jace's throat, who remained shockingly unmovable. "Killing him once for all that will be more than worth it."

"You may be a patient person, but I can assure you my cohort is much less so. Doing the unthinkable to Jace Beleren will force them to act." Bolas chuckled.

"...Cohort?" Sorin asked, a mixture of curiosity and anger building up inside of him.

"What, do you think I just up and decided one day to attack Ravnica for no reason at all? You and I both know I'm not that kind of dragon." Bolas explained with a sickening smile. "I was approached by them a very long time ago, and they predicted with almost perfect accuracy what would happen on this plane if I allowed specific things to come to pass- Jace Beleren's demise being something that came as apart of our deal. I was to attack Ravnica and bring about the death of the once great Living Guildpact and his despair would bring about, among other things, a massive cache of mana built up over thousands and thousands of years which, if I were to consume it once I got my hands on it, would grant me limitless power. Something like that is worth a few millenia-worth of waiting."

"And I doubt they gave you this information for free...?" Sorin grumbled.

"Oh, of course not. In exchange for telling me these things, I promised them Ravnica, and all of the unfortunate souls that live here. Giving up one plane in exchange for countless others seems like a fair trade to me, don't you think. And after spending more time than I would like here, I'll be glad to give it up to someone else.

"But as I mentioned, they are not as patient as you or I. If Jace Beleren meets his end here, I'll be forced to have everyone on this plane meet the same fate as Emmara Tandris and all of the others and give the countless, sleeping throngs of people up to my cohort as collateral for their trouble. And, trust me, they'll be able to do a lot more damage to the plane and it's people once everyone is sleeping, and maybe with this many people they'll be a more formidable foe than even me." Bolas paused to laugh victoriously as he looked into Sorin's eyes and watched as he slowly drew back his blade. "And I doubt you'll take as much pleasure in watching this place crumble around you like all the rest of these ruins as I will."

"...You're a monster."

"Oh, just now catching on?" Bolas cackled. "We're both monsters, Markov, the difference is I've long since embraced this part of me. Maybe if you lived a little more selfishly you wouldn't be in this situation. But now isn't the time to focus on the what could have beens, we have the hear and now to concern ourselves with- especially you. I absolutely can't wait to see how you plan on struggling before I crush you."

"We're not done here, Bolas!" Sorin barked.

"Oh, but I am." Bolas said as his body began to, once again, change shape, taking the form of the massive dragon that he truly was. "You can take all your other bitching and whining to my minions."

With a single flap of his great wings, Bolas soared into the sky, picking up dirt and debris that Sorin was forced to shield his face from. And, by the time he was able to look up once the air around him had settled, both Bolas and Jace were long gone.

* * *

Avacyn sat alone I the deep reaches of the library beneath the school. She hadn't been looking for anything in particular- she hadn't really been looking for anything at all aside from solitude. And now that she had it- only the glowing orbs that lit the library for company- she couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. The look Sorin had given her back at his office still haunted her. Never once, until then, had he looked at her like that: so overwhelmingly angry. Oh, she'd seen him grow angry before, many, many times, but never had that fury been directed at her until that night.

Part of her wished he had struck her or inflicted some other form of punishment instead of leaving her alone with her thoughts. At least the sting of a hand across her cheek would have eventually have subsided by now. But her thoughts still persisted in the silence and darkness of the library and only increased in volume and number the longer she waited around.

"Avacyn?" At first, Avacyn didn't realize that someone was actually calling her and wasn't her loud, intrusive thoughts still screaming in her brain. But, as she looked up she came to find Liliana standing over her, looking down with an amount of concern that was enough to make Avacyn feel bad.

"L-Liliana!" She gasped, straightening up and trying to make herself look presentable even though seconds ago she had been slumped over on the floor of the library. "How... did you...?"

"You realize I've broken into here before, right?" Liliana chuckled. "I needed to talk to you and..." She paused, scanning the shelves above Avacyn.

"...Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine." Avacyn cleared her throat. "It isn't something that should concern you, it's only a small matter."

"...But is it?"

"..." Avacyn remained silent for a moment as she looked up at Liliana. A warm feeling built up in her chest, melting away the chill that had begun to build up in her heart. The voices of self doubt and deprecation went silent. "I'm alright. I just came down here to think, is all."

"Really?" Liliana questioned, sounding unconvinced. But Avacyn remained silent on the matter as she picked herself up from off the ground.

"What brings you down here, anyway?" Avacyn asked, derailing the conversation from being about her mood. "Could it be you needed to research something?"

"No, I was... actually looking for you." Liliana explained. "You weren't back at home, so this was literally the one other place I thought to look. Not to sound rude, but you're not really the type of person who goes out of her way to go out and socialize." Avacyn shrugged in response.

"Could it have waited until morning?" She asked, wishing, at least, that Liliana hadn't happened upon her while she had been brooding on the floor.

"Well, I could have but _they_ couldn't." Liliana sighed, motioning behind her.

"They?" Avacyn cocked an eyebrow.

"As much faith as I have in you, me, Chandra and Gideon, I really doubt just the four of us is going to be enough." Liliana admitted. "So I found us some reinforcements... or I guess they found me. And they have a plan that might help us in freeing Jace."


	35. What Say You?

"Allies?" Chandra questioned in disbelief as her, Gideon and Avacyn rode the elevator down into the library. Avacyn had come to fetch them shortly after school was over, and had been pretty closed-mouthed about what it was she wanted to show them until they were alone in the chamber descending into the underground. "You mean you actually found people insane enough to help us fight against Bolas?"

"Liliana did, actually." Avacyn corrected her. "She says they sought her out just yesterday- and they seemed very willing to help us in our cause."

"Wow, then they must be like... _really crazy_ if they came to her." Chandra quipped before Gideon lightly bopped her on the head.

"That's really no way to talk about people who are going to help us out fighting an enemy we failed to defeat the first time." Gideon sighed. "Honestly, even if they are inssane, like you said, we should take all of the help we can get."

"Fine, fine." Chandra grumbled, folding her arms. "Who are these potential suicidal psychos anyway? Teachers? Students? Something that will put us toe-to-toe with Bolas, like a dragon?"

"You'll see soon enough." Avacyn spoke enigmatically. "Liliana made it clear I not tell you until you found out for yourself. Something about you refusing to come down and meet them if you figured things out too soon."

"Why bring them aboard if Liliana is afraid we won't agree with her choices?" Gideon questioned as the elevator reached the ground.

"They have with them something that will free Jace Beleren from Bolas' clutches, if we're lucky." Avacyn explained.

"And how do you expect us to believe them? So far you haven't really done that good of a job making them sound like a trustworthy bunch." Chandra inquired, raising an eyebrow as she waited impatiently for Avacyn's answer.

"Because..." Avacyn said as she looked over her shoulder, the doors slowly opening before them. "They used the very same method to free themselves."

"This is starting to sound more and more like a hoax, honestly." Chandra muttered, but Avacyn seemed done responding to her little pokes and jabs and began leading them into the winding halls of books, a few of the glowing orbs that lit the place honing in on them and following after them, lighting their path.

Deep into what seemed like the center of the massive chamber, their trip into the labrynth of books brought them to an open area adorned with a large, circular table and not much else. It seemed like a place groups of important people used to gather to discuss things or make important plans, but now all there was besides the three of them were four others- one of them being Liliana, waiting with their guests, and one that Chandra pointed out almost immediately.

"Ral Zarek!?" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the boy nearest them. He sat on the table top, digging into a pile of books he had probably selected to pass the time while they had waited for them. Looking up from the leather-bound thome he had been reading he smirked, although a look in his eyes gave away he was a little insulted she had just shouted his name like she was exposing a culprit to a crime. "What are _you_ doing here!?"

"Now, Chandra, I don't think-" Gideon began to protest, but Ral Zarek stood from the table, ready to engage in a battle of fiery egos with the younger girl.

"Well, now, Miss Nalaar, I should ask you the same thing." He chuckled. "I mean, _you_ in a _library_? Quite unorthodox. Surely she must have just wandered in her lost, right guys?"

"Look here, you smug bastard..." Chandra growled, ready to pounce had Gideon not held her back.

"Chandra, don't go picking fights right off the bat." Liliana groaned as she approached them. "And don't egg her on, Ral, She'll burn this place to the ground if it meant setting your ass on fire."

Ral rolled his eyes, not buying into what Liliana warned him about but obeying in keeping quiet.

"It's not wise to pick fights with the people we're going to aid." Drawing attention from Ral, Lavinia stepped beside him, arms crossed and eyeing him like she was his disappointed parent. "It would be in our best interests to set aside our differences and to leave that nasty attitude of yours at the door." She paused and turned to Liliana, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Sorry about him." She muttered under her breath, as if Ral Zarek wouldn't hear being not even an arm's length away.

"Hey!"

"It's alright. Stuff like this is to be expected from people like Ral." Liliana assured her.

" _HEY_! _Right here_!" Ral shouted again, turning to Lavinia with a glare. "You're one to talk about 'leaving our nasty attitudes at the door' miss holier than thou!"

"Am I going to have to keep you both in check the entire time?" Groaning and rolling his eyes, Tajic, the last of the new party, forced his way between Lavinia and Ral- choosing to lightly push against Lavinia's shoulder to push her to the side and to press his entire hand against Ral's forehead and shove him in the opposite direction. "We didn't come here so the two of you could bicker."

"Tajic!" Gideon exclaimed, sounding extremely happy to see a familiar face among the crowd of newcomers. " _You're_ here?"

"Yeah- and all thanks to this hot-headed dweeb." Tajic grumbled as he turned to Ral who was forcing Tajic's hand from off of his face furiously. He didn't seem all that pleased Tajic had both called him a "dweeb" and had grabbed his face and messed up his hair.

"Hey, I'd watch those words of yours if I were you." He snarled as he smoothed his hair back into place. "Without this 'hot-headed dweeb, you'd still be another one of Bolas' mind-controlled drones!"

"And for that we should just just worship you, shouldn't we?" Lavinia asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. " _Oh_ , everybody _bow down_ to Ral Zarek. _Where would we be_ without him?"

All of a sudden, out of the chaos brewing between the three of them, the sound of Avacyn stamping one of her feet against the marble floor seemed to slice through the air. Of all the traits she had inherited from Sorin- if that was at all possible, anyway- she had certainly come away with being able to bring a hush to a crowd with the most minimal effort. All three of them- as well as Chandra Gideon and Liliana- looked to her and Avacyn drew a slow, audible breath.

"Are you all _quite_ finished?" She asked in an icy tone. "I understand the three of you are from competing guilds and are predisposed to argue, but I ask, in this dire time, that you settle your differences before I settle them for you."

Ral instinctively grabbed his wrist, recalling the time she had almost completely snapped it.

"S-sorry..." Lavinia stammered. "It's been a long couple of days, please excuse my behavior..."

Tajic lowered his head like an apologetic dog and Ral simply huffed and turned away, folding his arms against his chest. Avacyn took another long, deep breath, allowing the silence to continue a few moments more, before she spoke again.

"Now, I suppose you're a bit curious about the new additions to our team." She said as she turned to Chandra and Gideon.

"On a scale of one to ten, I'd put my curiosity at eleven." Chandra nodded. "I mean, it sounds like they managed to overcome Bolas' mind control- I'm honestly more curious how you managed to convince them to work together."

"Well, Liliana is to be given credit for convincing them to 'work together', although it seems like it's more boiled down to them fighting like children, just in the same room." Avacyn spoke in an even tone, but there was something in her words and the way she eyed them as she spoke that made the three newcomers twitch. "As for how they managed the nearly impossible feat of breaking out of Bolas' control, I'll have to give Ral the floor on that one." She paused and looked back at the three opposing guild members again. " _Only_ Ral."

"Mmn..." Both Lavinia and Tajic mumbled uncomfortably. It appeared there had been a lot more talking over one another before Chandra and Gideon had arrived.

"Now, Ral, if you would be so kind?" Avacyn asked, sounding strangely forceful. "And please try to keep things simple."

"Simple enough for these cave people?" Ral asked before Lavinia elbowed him in the ribs. Ral groaned in pain and shot a glare back at her, although by that time Lavinia was acting like nothing had even happened. It seemed as if Ral was about to break away from the task at hand and return to arguing with the opposing guild member, but he shook his head and turned his attention back to Chandra and Gideon- mostly because Chandra chose to speak up.

"You keep your captivated cave-audience waiting, Ral." She snorted. Ral grumbled, muttering something to himself that neither Chandra or Gideon could hear as he turned back to the table and snatched something from off of it.

"This is what broke us out of Nicol Bolas' spell. I wish I could take credit for it, but even I'm not that much of a sleaze." He sighed, holding aloft a capped syringe. A strange liquid filled the glass vile that seemed to sparkle in the light of the orbs glowing around them. "Behold the master work of Izzet's late guildleader."

Chandra leaned in a little closer, narrowing her eyes.

"...Sure doesn't look all that impressive." She chuckled lightly as she reached out to touch it. With a frustrated grunt, Ral lifted it out of her reach and pointed at her with his other hand- his finger touching the tip of her nose.

"Keep your grubby little hands off. The last person I want touching our one chance to save this place is the girl who is notorious for arson!" He snarled.

"It was one time!" Chandra groaned.

"Still not worth the risk." Ral shook his head, turning his nose up at her.

"And, while, yes, it certainly doesn't look like much... to the lesser minded crowd... the contents of this vile contain a powerful spell that, once injected into a host, frees them from mind control of any strength- or at least, as strong as Nicol Bolas'." He continued. "Niv Mizzet must have crafted them in secret, thinking that one day someone would try and bore into his mind. Unfortunately for him, when the time came..."

Ral's expression suddenly went from proud to sour. His face twitched as he frowned and his eyebrows knit together. He turned away for a moment, unable to completely hide a grimace.

"What are you getting at, Ral?" Gideon asked. "I mean, when could Niv have been- wait... you aren't saying...?"

"I honestly can't believe you and your little group of freedom fighters hadn't figured out Niv Mizzet's murder by now... or maybe your little angel friend decided not to share." Chandra and Gideon turned to Avacyn who merely averted her gaze and cast it down onto the floor. "Exava using some strange, roundabout way to kill Niv was all a total lie. While under Bolas' control I was allowed to be privy to some things- one of them being that Nicol Bolas had been the one to take control of Niv Mizzets mind and kill him. All of the other incidents concerning the guild leaders are his doing as well, but Niv Mizzet was the first. And... I could have saved him."

"What!?" Chandra gasped. "Are you that power hungry that you ignored your guildleader's cry for help!?"

"It wasn't like that, alright!?" Ral snapped back, pressing forward so that he was yelling right in Chandra's face. "I wouldn't have dreamed of betraying Niv Mizzet! He was a real bastard... and he kept us all on the shortest leash imaginable, but I would never...!" Ral's expression contorted a bit as something other than anger began to build in his gaze.

"Ral, stop, I think they get it." Tajic cut in, resting his hand on Ral's shoulder, to which the Izzet guild member swiftly shrugged away with a furious gasp. "You couldn't have known, you've made that point clear enough to me and Lavnina, as well as Avacyn and Liliana."

Ral looked back at Tajic long and hard before drawing in a loud, slow breath and turning back to Chandra who, at that point, had backed up against Gideon and was looking back at Ral like she expected him to attack her and that she was ready to parry. Ral sighed and smoothed back his hair, beginning, once again, to explain himself.

"The night before Niv's death, he sent me a text message... it was super early in the morning and all that he sent was this random string of numbers. At the time I had thought it was just some silly number puzzle he intended to keep me up, so I ignored it. Turns out they were a combination to a safe he kept in the Izzet guild headquarters, where he kept a lot of his experiments and ideas that were pending. And that's where these were..." Ral looked down at the syringe he was now clutching in his hand. He loosened his grip as an expression drifted across his face that seemed like sadness, but given Ral's sharper features it was hard to tell.

"The numbers that could have saved Niv's life were the ones that saved my hide in the end. Niv planned for everything- aside from a lazy slacker being among his ranks. The numbers themselves are enchanted so that, even when a person is under mind control, they will stand out in the forefront of the person's mind, irritating them to figure out their meaning. The only reason they didn't work on Niv, I imagine, was because he couldn't make it to the guild room in his condition. But, as Izzet's newly appointed guildleader, I had more than enough access to upend almost the entire room before I found the safe."

"So why only use what you found on yourself, Lavinia and Tajic- I mean, no offense..." Gideon brought up. "What about the other guildleaders- the ones that have been hospitalized? Aurelia, Isperia, Zegana- even Emmara would be able to help us, maybe even better than we could help ourselves in this case. We're just kids, Ral, we have a way to stop Bolas but don't you think we need more help than this?"

"Niv only left behind four of these, and took the method he used to make them to his grave. I've tried to analyze the formula myself and maybe make a functional replica, but I can't seem to figure it out. So this is all we have left, and we can't run the risk of using it to wake up you're guild's precious little angel, that annoying, nagging feline, fish-out-of-water or everyone's favorite nurse- and even if we could, it could put their lives in danger. Breaking Jace out of Nicol Bolas' spell is our only sure way to beat this."

"Fine, then why don't we just use it on Jace now?" Chandra questioned.

"Jace is Nicol Bolas' trump card, and now we're all in the home stretch toward the final step in his plans. If we were to free Jace now, Nicol Bolas will be forced to do something even more drastic- maybe even spiteful at his own expense." Liliana stepped in and warned. "Our only chance of breaking Jace free of the hold Nicol Bolas has on his mind is during the maze running."

"So, what, you just expect us to sit around on our asses and watch as Bolas keeps on turning the guild system and the school on it's head?" Chandra narrowed her eyes. "Isn't there something we can do!?"

"We can train." Avacyn finally piped up. "All of you were brought up in a world were it was normalized that the powers you have should not be honed for combat, but that doesn't mean you don't have potential. Each one of you is a reincarnation of powerful mages and warriors from the past, so surely the latent ability to use your powers to fight should be within all of you." She paused, gesturing to the shelves of books that surrounded them.

"We have thousands of years worth of knowledge at our disposal on top of all of that. We have our resources, and our potential, we simply need to harness them." She turned back to the group as she clenched her hands that had been hanging at her sides into fists. "So, until the day of the maze running, you all will learn to harness what powers you have and to use them to defend yourselves and, if need be, offensively."

A silence fell over all of them as they looked among themselves.

"If you would much rather chose to leave things in the hands of fate and not run the risk of coming into harms way, then I ask that you leave." Avacyn added sharply. "At this point in Bolas' game, we have no room for cowardice or unwillingness to act. We've fallen far enough behind already- we don't need anyone else slowing us down."

"You have nothing to worry about any of that." Lavinia spoke up in a strong voice. "I don't plan on backing down, not after everything we've learned."

"She's right." Tajic added. "To walk away, knowing what we know now- we know it might as well be suicide."

"I've got my own reasons for wanting in on this." Ral nodded. "If it means we can kick Bolas' scaly ass in the end, you can count me in."

"He needs to pay for a lot of things." Liliana agreed. "And, as it stands, we're the only people who have any chance at all at stopping him."

All of them stared back at Gideon and Chandra, who had fallen silent. Gideon looked to Chandra, and Chandra looked down at her feet.

"And what about the two of you?" Avacyn asked. "I originally hoped from the beginning that maybe I could keep the both of you from being involved, but we don't have much of a choice now. There's no time to leave you two to think, we need your answer now."

"I..." Gideon began, his voice wavering a bit as he looked to Chandra, who's gaze was still fixed at the ground. "I'll only agree to help if Chandra agrees. If she's out, I'm out."

"Gideon!" Liliana gasped angrily. "Think about what you're saying!"

"I _am_ thinking!" Gideon shot back. "I want to protect Ravnica, you know I do, but even more than that I want to protect Chandra. How can I do that when I'm risking my life running the maze!? I died once before trying to protect this place and unable to protect her, you know that! This time, I'm putting Chandra first. If my decision dooms me, well... at least I'll die with a clear conscience. At least I'll perish knowing I actually protected the person that I love!"

"Gideon..." Liliana growled.

"I'm in." Chandra's voice seemed to piece through the air as she spoke, lifting her head with new-found determination burning in her eyes.

"C-Chandra, wait a second!" Gideon gasped. "Do you... are you really...?"

"All my life everything that has happened to me has been because of the will of other people. And now... after all that has happened..." A disgusted frown formed on Chandra's face as she spoke, lips parting slightly to reveal her barred teeth. "I'm going to take back control of my life. Nothing is going to be chosen for me or taken from me again. I'm going to help, not because you or anyone else wants me to, but because _I_ want to." She paused as she looked up at Gideon, who looked back at her slightly slack-jawed.

"Chandra... are you sure?" He dared to ask.

"Of course I'm sure. That doesn't mean I'm not terrified of dying... or of losing you or anyone else... but I'm going to show those bastards that they didn't break me. So I'm in." Slowly, her frown softened and curled up into a smile as she reached up and patted Gideon on the shoulder. "But I appreciate the sentiment."

"Well, that was needlessly over-dramatic." Ral mockingly chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Well, now that that's settled-" Liliana cut in, rewarding Ral for his comment with a swat on the head. "There's one more thing I need to take care of."

"One more thing?" Avacyn asked.

"Gideon was right about one thing- we need more help than this. You an I may have experience with this sort of thing, but you can't ignore the fact that the majority of us have had only tests and personal problems to worry about up until now." Liliana explained. "We need someone with a little more maturity added to our ranks."

"And who would that be?"

"Oh... no one, really." Liliana shrugged. "Just a friend of a friend."

* * *

Liliana waited in the cold, dimly lit chamber of the academy's below-ground garage, breathing into her cupped hands before shoving them into her pockets. She sighed, figuring she should have expected being made to wait and began to wonder if she was even going to be met by anyone at all aside from the last, straggling members of the school staff looking at her like she was lost. Pulling out her cell phone to check the time, she considered- and not for the first time- just giving up and leaving. She had only left a voicemail after all, and there was no guarantee she was going to get a call back and even less of a guarantee that the person she had called would even bother to show up.

"Well..." She huffed, her breath visible in translucent white puffs. "It was worth a shot."

Pushing herself off from the concrete wall she had been leaning against, Liliana began to take her leave in defeat- only to find that, at the very same time, someone else was descending into the garage, hardly looking at all relieved to see Liliana as Liliana was relieved to see them.

"Nissa!" She greeted. "I'd asked what took you, but I really shouldn't be shocked that you were, well... hesitant to meet with me."

"I only decided to humor you because I happened to be in the area, human." Nissa groaned back, folding her arms. Liliana didn't have to ask the elf what she had been doing in town, on her own visits to the hospital to see Emmara she'd always catch quick glimpses and sightings of Nissa either leaving before Liliana showed up, or lurking around waiting for her to leave. She was probably coming back from yet another visit to the hospital.

"...How's Emmara?" Liliana dared to ask, immediately regretting it as she watched as Nissa wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She spat back, much to Liliana's surprise. "You're the one whose to blame for why she's in the hospital."

"E-excuse me?"

"I got all the little details from that fire witch, Baltrice. Your actions against Bolas are the reason he did this to Emmara." Nissa accused, her expression growing uglier.

"H...How did you...?" Liliana's eyes widened as she felt as if the ground below her had vanished, causing her to stumble a bit. "I mean, it's no big secret anymore, but how do _you_ know that?"

"You're not the only person Bolas employed to do his dirty work- although, me and him have long since been through." Nissa paused, her shoulders hunching as her body grew stiff, like she was in pain. She gripped tightly at her arms as she spoke through clenched teeth. "But at least my departure from his ranks didn't result in someone else's loved one almost killing themselves and then falling into a coma."

"Nissa... I'm sorry... I didn't mean for any of that to happen, I swear!" Liliana attempted to assure her. "Emmara wasn't the only one who suffered because of what I did, but I'm trying to rectify that now, I promise!"

"Feh! How in the world can you make up for Emmara becoming a damn vegetable!?" Nissa snarled. "You humans always make empty promises and apologies when it's convenient. What makes this any different?"

"Because we found a way to stop Bolas, and maybe bring Emmara and everyone else back!" Liliana shouted. "But we need guidance, and we're pretty short on people we can actually turn to at this point. You have reason enough to stand against Bolas, and we have a way to turn the tables against him. Please- for Emmara-"

"How dare you!" Nissa snapped. "Let alone I wouldn't bother to help humans in the first place, I definitely wouldn't dare to help you. You can't even guarantee that stopping Bolas for getting what he wants in that damn maze will bring Emmara out of her coma- A coma that you, yourself, are the main cause of! You just want to use me and lead me along with pretty words and lies! 'For Emmara'- _please_ , what good have you done her!?

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but we need to stand together! Human or not, we have a common enemy. And don't you think Bolas needs to be punished for what he did?" Liliana asked, the desperation in her voice growing. It wasn't so much that Nissa as refusing to hep them that was bothering her, it was the having to be faced with Emmara's current state being her own fault so harshly that was. Gideon hadn't blamed her and Chandra didn't seem to bear any resentment. Nissa on the other hand, was more than happy to add to the already insurmountable guilt.

"Of course I do, but in that regard I work alone. I'll find a way to stop Bolas and save Emmara without your help. You and the rest of you humans have already helped enough. And see just where it's gotten you? Things are even worse now because of you!" Nissa berated. "I don't need your help, and I most certainly don't want to help you."

"But, Nissa-"

"We're done here!" She interrupted harshly as she turned her back on Liliana. "I only came to tell you I know you were the cause of what happened to Emmara, and that I'm never going to forgive you." Again, Nissa paused as her posture stiffened and she tightly clenched her fists. "People like you deserve to suffer."

* * *

After her meeting with Nissa, Liliana didn't have the heart to return to the library. Her body felt heavy, like someone had rested a great weight upon her shoulders. Up until that point, aside from herself, no one had really blamed her for what had happened- for Gideon's assault for the unspeakable things that had been done to Chandra, for Emmara's coma or for what had become of Jace. Nissa, on the other hand, had enough resentment for every person Liliana's actions had effected and then some. It was as if she had been taken right back to the day she came to realize that her actions were having consequences, the day everything came crashing down and she had been robbed of her chance to apologize for what she had done- to Jace, at least. So, lost in the haze of self-loathing, Liliana instead returned to her apartment.

She trudged into her dark abode, choosing to keep the place bathed in darkness instead of flipping on the lights. Dropping her things behind her, she made it about as far as the living room before she stopped in her tracks and looked up at the ceiling blankly as Nissa's words echoed in her head.

" _People like you deserve to suffer."_

A tear rolled down her cheek as she struggled to breath, feeling as if she was drowning. All that time, the thought that she was the cause of Emmara's current state had been in the back of her mind, and although it seemed Bolas seemed to also have done so to get her out of the way like the other guildleaders, that had only pushed the idea further back into her mind, not eliminated it. It still nagged at her, just loud enough to hear. But now it was at the forefront of her mind, overwhelmingly loud and horribly debilitating.

"I'm sorry..." She muttered as more tears slipped from her eyes. She knew saying so was futile, especially since there was no one around to hear her. Saying so hardly even made her feel better herself, but words of apology to no one in particular were all she could fathom. "I'm... sorry..."

"Liliana..." A familiar voice spoke from behind her. With a gasp, Liliana whipped around, not feeling an inkling of terror. She knew that voice, and had wanted to hear it for the longest time- just as much as she wanted to see the speaker.

"Jace!" She cried, her eyes overflowing with tears so much she could hardly see. But she knew, even by the blurry silhouette, that it was him. However, somehow, seeing him there made her heart hurt all the more. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, she reached out to him with another. She wanted to hold him- wanted to be held by him. She wanted something or someone to hold onto, or else she feared she would be swept away. "Why- when- _how_ -!?"

Much to her surprise, Jace drew away, as if he feared she had moved to hurt him. Hand still outstretched, she laughed nervously.

"Jace, what the hell? Is this how you greet someone after all this time?" She asked, her weak smile slipping as she choked back a sob.

"I can't have you touching me, Liliana. It's taking a lot of effort to keep up this projection and not have Bolas know..." Jace muttered, sounding strained. "This... may be the only way and the only time I'll be able to speak to you before the maze running."

Liliana's heart sank once again as she lowered her hand and pulled it back against her chest. Maybe that was why her heart ached so much when she saw him- maybe on some unconscious level she had known he really wasn't there. It was all just an illusion she couldn't touch. She swallowed another sob as her eyes began to well up with tears once more.

"Why are you here?" She asked, not sure weather to feel sad or angry.

"I came here to warn you, Liliana..." Jace uttered, again sounding as if he were straining himself while he spoke. "...You can't go up against Bolas! It's suicide! Even if you somehow make it through the maze, Bolas is worlds power than all of us put together... And I don't want to lose you..."

"Then what do you want me to do then, Jace, just roll over and give up!? Just accept what's going to happen and let Bolas have his way!?" Liliana asked irately.

"If you don't interfere, Bolas has agreed to spare you, and you and me can leave this plane together!" Jace explained. "We can go as far as we want- far enough to escape Bolas' influence, if we can manage it... so please... I need you to stop this! Call everyone off before you're killed, I... I don't want to lose you, Lili..."

For a moment, Liliana deeply considered his offer. For a moment, giving up and taking the deal sounded tempting- logical even. She wanted nothing more than to be free of all the madness that had begun to consume her life.

But, instead, she shook her head and took a step backwards from Jace. She wanted to see a future where her and Jace could live freely, running through the multiverse, finally able to be together, but all she could see were her friend's faces. Avacyn, Gideon, Chandra, Emmara... she had a feeling there was no place in the deal for them.

"...What about everyone else? What will happen to them?" She asked.

"...I'm Sorry, Lili... But... it's not like you didn't live like this before- the old Liliana Vess, I mean. Maybe our only choice is to live selfishly." Jace shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Hopefully they'll be able to find their own way..."

"If it's a choice that excludes my friends, I don't want it!" Lliana shouted. "You talk about the old Liliana Vess- the one who came before me- like she's me. I may be reincarnated from her, but I am _not her,_ and I could never do some of the things she did. I have friends here, Jace... friends that I care about and who care about me and I've fucked them over enough as it is!"

"Lili, please, listen to me-"

"No! You listen to me! I... I love you, Jace... I want to be with you... but if being with you means I have to abandon everyone else, then I'll swallow my feelings and I'll fight- even if it means I'll lose! At least then, I'll..." Liliana said, remembering what Gideon had said to her back at the library. "I'll die with a clear conscience."

"...Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?" He questioned.

"No, Jace. Maybe the former Liliana would have agreed to your proposition but... Ravnica is _my_ home and my friends are like family to me and I won't abandon them- even if it means being able to be you again..." She sighed. "I've screwed over enough people, and it's weighed on my mind more than I can bear. I won't have any more people's suffering dragging me down. I've made my decision, you can tell Bolas that."

Jace looked back at her like a kicked puppy, but said nothing in return.

"I'll see you in the maze, Jace."

In a blink of an eye, he suddenly vanished, and Liliana was once again alone in her dark apartment. She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes that had begun to sting from all of the tears before staring back at the empty space Jace's projection had once been standing. The weight of what she had done and what had happened as a result still clutched at her heart, but inside of her there was a new spark of determination.

As much fun as running away into the multiverse with Jace sounded, she wanted it on her terms, and those were leaving the plane of Ravnica and her friends that lived there safe. No amount of love for anyone would make her decide otherwise. None of her friends deserved that- none of them deserved to suffer.

And neither did she.


	36. Angel's Sigh

_Lavinia stood hunched over a large table set up within one of the deeper chambers of the Azorius Senate's headquarters. Sounds of the battle outside were audible, but at least the tremors couldn't be felt. At least this way she could concentrate, even if it was only a slight bit. The war room was constantly being moved, usually at her behest. There had originally been a lot of paperwork to go through in order to move it from wing to wing, but now a-days Lavinia usually had forgone it, saying she'd fill it all out another day. Now a-days, there was hardly time to follow protocol._

_Upon the massive table was a projection of the city proper that glowed in the dim light of the room. So much territory had fallen to the wicked elderdragon, Nicol Bolas, as of late. When Jace had called upon the beings from other planes, there had been a glimmer of hope, and the evil creatures forces had been pushed back. However, now things were slowly going back to being in Bolas' favor, and the people they had hoped would win them the war had grown just as tired and weary as the rest of Ravnica's citizens._

_Lavinia chewed at one of her nails, surveying the map. Some of Bolas' forces were making their way towards one of their many civilian camps. Those who couldn't fight had been sent to stay within the more heavily guarded parts of the city, and thus far, two had already fallen and countless, innocent people had lost their lives. So there was no time to second guess whether or not they could keep the dragon's forces from destroying another camp- it was either she be proactive or suffer the consequences and have their own army lose even more moral. Children had been in those camps, family, loved ones- there had been enough mourning those past few months for hundreds of years worth of war._

_On instinct, she looked to her side, the beginnings of a sentence escaping her lips before she sucked breath back in. Jace, who before usually had helped with strategy, had long since started going out to take care of his own business. The Living Guildpact had slowly begun to become lax in his duties, not that Lavinia could blame him. Keeping order in those times was a lot different than keeping order before- when it was just a string of meetings and paperwork and visits to the other guilds. Jace, albeit a little clumsily, had been suited for such a life: keeping order in a time of general peace. But this was war. The guild system had almost been completely dissolved, remaining only in names and introductions. There was no place for papers and diplomacy here- not with Nicol Bolas. And it had taken a toll on Jace from day one._

_She heaved a sigh and turned back to the map. There was no time to wait for Jace to approve of her plans like before. Now... there was no time to depend on Jace- not any longer. What use was the Guildpact when the guilds weren't even the problem anymore? He'd done his part- brought Ravnica much needed aid at the cost of losing a bit of their trust in revealing a secret not just him, but many Ravnicans had been keeping for years, been the face of their potential triumph until their forces began to crumble before Nicol Bolas' might once again- and now, his title was nothing more than the rest of them desperately gripping at whatever would tether them back to the reality they once knew. Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, could no longer be relied upon._

_Clearing her throat, she turned to the commanding officers who had been overseeing the brief meeting, awaiting orders. One of them was Tajic, a member of the Boros Legion who had always made a point to attend every meeting Lavinia and Jace had called. The war had certainly taken it's toll on him physically, obvious signs of battle worn across his face and body, but there was a fire of determination still in his eyes that still burned as if it were still the first day of battle. At the very least, it was something Lavinia could appreciate._

_Before anyone could share any words, however, someone came crashing through the doors to the chamber, breathing heavily and stumbling across the marble floor. All of them turned to find Ral Zarek, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath._

" _Guildmage Zarek...?" Lavinia greeted him properly, although she was unable to withhold how confused she was at his sudden appearance. "What seems to be the problem?" Ral only shook his head at first, wheezing and swallowing mouthfuls of air. Upon closer inspection, Lavinia couldn't help but notice the guildmage's legs buckling slightly and his hands shaking the tiniest bit. "_ Guildmade Zarek _!"_

" _The Conclave..." He managed to gasp through panting as he wiped his brow. "The Conclave... everyone..."_

" _What?" Lavinia gasped, turning to the map and turning her gaze towards where the the Selesnya Conclave's area of the city. As far as the map could show, anyway, Bolas' forces were still being kept from that area of the city just as handily as before. It had been the designated place for the wounded, and a large number of their healers had been stationed their- to the point where, if the Conclave were to fall, they would be put at a sickening disadvantage. But, if the map was anything to go by, there was nothing to worry about. Looking back at Ral, however..._

" _Everything seems fine..." Lavnina told him, sounding unsure on top of being suspicious. "If this is a prank, this is definitely not the time."_

" _Of course it wouldn't show up... on your_ stupid _map..." Ral Zarek muttered wearily._

" _And why is that?" Lavinia narrowed her eyes._

" _Because..." Ral paused, a look of honest terror in his eyes._

" _Out with it, Ral Zarek!" Lavinia shouted. She was pressed for time as it was, there was no time to sit there and wait for Ral to explain himself._

" _The Conclave has fallen to Jace!" Ral shouted back before going back to hunching over with his hands on his knees, obviously using air he hardly had in order to roar back at her._

" _To... Jace...?" Lavinia asked, a worried murmur drifting through the room. "What do you mean 'to Jace'?"_

" _He's turned on us, Lavinia... He... he killed all of them." He stammered. "It's a miracle I was healed enough to escape..."_

" _You've got to be kidding!" Lavinia gasped. "Jace- mean... the Living Guildpact would never do such a thing!"_

" _He has... Your precious 'Living Guildpact' has turned on all of us..." Ral Zarek swayed from side to side before losing his footing completely. Lavinia was narrowly able to catch him, feeling something warm and wet as she gripped him on one of his sides. Easing him onto the ground, she pulled her hand away to find it was died a dark crimson._

" _You're hurt!"_

" _I said 'healed enough' not 'healed completely', didn't I?" Ral mumbled._

" _You stay here." Lavinia commanded before turning to the lot that were still waiting for her to give orders. She bit her lip, torn between her original plans and the new development with Jace._

" _Commanding Officer Tajic!" She called out to him. He straightened up as she spoke his name. "You will accompany me to see to this matter concerning the Living Guildpact. The rest of you, the civilian encampment near the east district is in danger of falling to Bolas' forces. Send whatever troops you find necessary to defend it!"_

_And with that, she took her leave, speed-walking down the hall before breaking out into a run once she and Tajic were a fare distance away from the chamber._

" _What do you plan on doing?" Tajic asked, easily meeting her stride. "If what Guildmage Zarek is true, and Jace Beleren really has attacked the Conclave... what do you plan on doing?"_

" _What we can." Lavinia responded simply. "We're going to get to the bottom of this- Beleren wouldn't turn on us without reason._

" _If I remember correctly, he wouldn't turn on us at all." Tajic added, sounding stern. "This doesn't seem right..."_

" _I'm aware." Lavinia sighed as they reached the exit. The air outside smelled of smoke and iron and the sky had taken on a more red hue from the smoke and ash hanging overhead- the sun now a crimson orb through the thick haze. "Our best bet is to head in the direction of the Conclave. If a half-injured Ral Zarek was able to get here without any trouble, we should be fine."_

" _I don't think you need to worry about getting there..." Tajic informed her, extending a single finger towards the foot of the steps leading up to the Senate headquarters. "It seems Guildmage Zarek was followed."_

_Lavinia gasped as she looked down, coming to find Jace standing below them, statuesque as his cloak billowed in the stiflingly-warm wind. He stared up at them coldly, every bit of warmth drained from his expression. A chill ran up Lavinia's spine as she gulped. She could tell something wasn't right._

" _G-Guildpact!" Lavinia addressed him, attempting to swallow down her fear. "We have gotten word from Ral Zarek that you have turned against our forces. He's told us that the Conclave has fallen, and you were the cause of it! We need to know if these accusations are true."_

" _... And what if they are?" Jace asked icily. "What do you plan on doing? Will you try and stop me, just like all of those other fools at the Conclave tried to stop me?"_

" _This is no time for jokes, Jace!" Lavinia snapped, hand on her sword. "Did you or did you not attack the Conclave!?"_

" _...It seemed like the most logical place to strike. A horrible case of putting all of your eggs in one basket- having all of your healers in one place. It always stuck out to me as... a strategic flaw..." Jace mused. "I guess I was right."_

" _You bastard!" Tajic roared as he drew his blade and charged Jace._

" _Tajic, don't!" Lavinia cried out, but before the proud Boros guild member had made it halfway down the stairs, his body suddenly went slack and he tumbled down the rest of the way. Lavinia gasped as she took a step backward. His body lay limp at Jace's feet, motionless and quiet. Jace regarded the body for a short while before stepping over him and beginning his ascent up the steps._

" _The mind is such an easy thing to break..." He sighed. "Such a shame..."_

" _Stay back!" Lavinia snarled as she drew her own blade, but held her ground despite her legs shaking. "I'm not afraid to strike down the Living Guildpact! Your time as Ravnica's law has long since ended, and your crimes will justify my actions! Take one more step and I swear-!"_

" _But you are afraid of me, aren't you?" Jace interrupted as words dried up in Lavinia's mouth and died in her throat. It was as if speech was an abstract concept she couldn't quite grasp, no matter how much she concentrated. Her mind wandered and froze all at once. She could hardly move her limbs aside from the shivering she was doing. "You can't hide anything from me, every little thought- every little well kept secret is common knowledge to me. Without even the slightest bit of effort, your mind and every thought process is mine to control."_

_Lavinia gasped as her body moved on it's own, holding her sword aloft and pointing it at her throat._

" _...W... Why..." She was hardly able to rasp._

" _-Am I doing this?" Jace finished for her. "You know, Lavinia, every detail of my life up until now has been filtered through you. All of my activities overseen by the guilds. And now, I can honestly say... it's really none of your business."_

_A flash of light and a ear-shattering clap erupted, forcing Jace away from Lavinia and sending her flying backward, her weapon being knocked from her hands. She groaned in pain, her voice returning to her, and the use of her limbs was relinquished back to her as she struggled to push herself up._

" _What in all the world-" She muttered before she came to find Ral Zarek standing before her, one arm outstretched, ready for call down another bolt of lightening, the other grasping at his side where a deep red stain had begun to form._

" _Guildmade Zarek, you need to get out of here!" Lavinia gasped. "You're in no shape to fight!"_

" _Oh, yeah, and you were doing such an amazing job before I got here." Ral rolled his eyes before looking back at Jace, who had been forced to retreat back to the bottom of the steps. "You need to get back there and warn everyone- evacuate everyone you can."_

" _And what about you!?" Lavinia asked. "There's no way you can defeat him, not in your condition!"_

" _Who said I came here to defeat him?" Ral Zarek asked, sounding a bit defeated. "Before I came here... I'm sorry, but I tried to planeswalk out of here. I'm not even sure where I was trying to go, I just wanted to escape... I'm sorry, it was really cowardly of me..."_

" _Ral..."_

" _But I couldn't..." He continued. "Not because I changed my mind, but because I literally couldn't. My spark is gone, Lavinia. I'm trapped here.. and I have a sinking feeling all of us are."_

" _I'm not just going to leave you here and let you get yourself killed!" Lavinia shouted. "I don't know how this could have happened, but that's no reason to-!"_

" _Just let me do this!" Ral whirled around to face her. "If this is where I die, than so be-..." Ral Zarek suddenly took an awkwardly long pause, his expression shifting from annoyed to surprised to terrified as he reached up and grasped at his throat._

" _R-Ral?" Lavinia stammered before Ral fell to his knees, making desperate, choked noises as he looked from the ground to her, wordlessly begging for her to help him. "Ral! Ral what's wrong!?"_

" _If you don't want to leave him to die, then maybe you can sit there and watch." Jace, who had traveled up the steps and was now standing before them spoke mockingly._

_Ral reached out and gripped Lavinia's shoulders, tears welling up in his eyes and his tongue lulling out of his mouth._

" _Stop this- Jace, please, stop this!" Lavinia begged. "You're killing him!"_

" _That's the idea..." Jace shrugged. "A slow death worthy of a coward."_

" _You can't... you can't do this..." Lavinia sobbed. "Please... please, stop!"_

" _It's too late for any of that, Lavinia." Jace shook his head. "It's time you all gave up and embraced futility."_

_Lavinia turned from Jace back to Ral, whose lips were slowly turning blue. She couldn't bear to watch him slowly suffocate to death, so, instead, she reached for her blade she had let slip from her hands. Ral's eyes followed her closely, looking panicked._

" _I'm sorry.." She cried softly as she gripped the blade in one hand and wrapped her other arm around Ral. "I'm... I'm sorry..." Simultaneously she pulled him close against her and thrust her blade through his chest. Ral's body violently shivered, one final, struggling noise escaping his lips before his body grew still. His head limply rested on her shoulder as his hands fell from his throat down to his sides. Lavinia choked back a sob as she kept Ral's body held close to her. Blood oozed down the hilt of her sword, meeting and running over her fingers._

" _You monster..." She muttered before looking up at Jace with tears in her eyes. "You fucking-!"_

_Whatever words she had left to say were left unsaid as her body, too, went limp and rested on Ral's. Jace stared back at the two now corpses, Lavinia still embracing Ral's motionless body in death, before striding into the Azorius Senate's headquarters._

* * *

Lavinia cried out in terror as she awoke, sitting up and clutching at her bed sheets. Her heart that she could practically hear pounding was enough to assure her she was, in fact, still alive, but even so she had her doubts for a few seconds that seemed to drag on forever. Sweat traveled from her brow down her face, stinging her eyes- or maybe that was tears? In the darkness of her bedroom, still in panic mode, it was impossible to tell.

"Nng..." She moaned as she released her sheets and wrapped her arms around herself. Avacyn had explained that nightmares would happen- that they were, somehow, a regular thing when people were told about their past lives. Chandra, Gideon and Liliana had all attested to that, all looking largely uncomfortable. She had thought they had been overreacting- what were a couple of bad dreams every now and then? But that... what Lavinia had seen wasn't a dream. It hadn't just been some ridiculous scenario that her subconscious had cooked up where she'd find herself naked at school or something that could be easily shaken off. What Lavinia had experienced had been a vivid memory

"...Is everything alright?" A voice quietly asked from Lavinia's floor. She jumped, a half-second later remembering she had invited Avacyn to spend the night at her apartment. It wasn't that the two of them were already close friends- in fact, before this, they had hardly spoke to one another aside from school or guild matters that were hardly interpersonal. It had been right before Lavinia- being the last person to remain in the library the night before, even after Ral Zarek, the bookworm, left- had retired for the night when she somehow managed to coax out of the dean's daughter that she had been sleeping in the library. She hadn't wanted to press the issue at the time, but she could tell by the look on her normally stoic face that she wasn't just doing it because she _liked_ sleeping in the cold, dimly-lit chamber beneath the school.

So, Lavinia had invited Avacyn to stay with her, and the entire evening had been dedicated to subtly trying to have Avacyn admit why she hadn't been returning home. But the angel had been very tight lipped about the matter, keeping her explanations to things like, "it's a personal matter" and "it's of little concern right now"- and Lavinia's personal favorite, silence and half-hearted hand and body gestures (Avacyn had a very bad habit of responding like she were a mime just phoning it in, and it bothered Lavinia greatly).

"I-I'm fine..." Lavinia attempted to assure her guest. "I just..." mid-sentence, she was forced to choke back a sob, and at that point there was no real point in defending whether or not she was "fine".

"A nightmare?" Avacyn guessed. Lavinia sighed uneasily and nodded.

"I-I'll be okay, I just need something to calm my nerves." She assured her as she unsteadily slipped out of her bed and walked out into the living room of her apartment, followed close behind by Avacyn whose footsteps Lavinia could hear patting half a step behind hers.

Lavinia was lucky enough to come from a family that had sent her to the academy willingly- her mother and father both mages who wanted her to get an education while still being taught about and being in a community of people her age that positively embraced magic. So it came as no surprise that, once she entered her final years at the academy, her parents were more than happy to put her up in the better apartments near campus that were popular with the more well-off senior students who were no longer required to stay in the dorms. Lavinia liked the privacy, so it felt odd being followed around the apartment at some ungodly hour of the morning.

The apartment had an open concept living room and kitchen, the wall at the far end of the room being nothing but a sheet of glass that let in the maximum amount of light during the morning. The walls, floor and furniture that had come with the apartment were all a pristine eggshell white. It was allowed for students to change the look of their living spaces, but Lavinia had left most things as they were, her only modifications being switching out odds and ends that weren't white for things that were. Her only complaint was that it made it so she had to clean more often, but even that was remedied with a spell or two. A person could drop a mug of coffee onto the floor and have it shatter and the room would piece the broken glass back together and lap up every drop of liquid, leaving zero trace. It was an advanced spell Lavinia had painstakingly perfected the first year she lived alone, after realizing she wasn't the most graceful when it came to handling china.

"Thank gods I still have some tea around here..." Lavinia muttered to herself as she entered the kitchen area and opened up what appeared to be a very organized pantry, everything arranged by type of food and then by size with labels of expiration dates stuck to everything. "I mean, I'd normally take a sleeping pill but... well, you've seen what eventually happened to me when I took those. I guess I'm going to have to stick to more traditional home-remedy type things until this whole issue is resolved."

"If you want someone to talk to, I'm here." Avacyn offered up.

"What do you mean? I told you I was fine..." Lavinia unconvincingly attempted to reassure her.

"Experiencing your own death can be a terrifying thing. I've seen even the most strongest of people weep after having the nightmares. And most people don't find it very reassuring that we have no idea how to stop them, or for how long they'll even last." Avacyn explained. "It's understandable for you to be shaken. Your facade wouldn't convince even the most unobservant people."

"Then you go first, if you're so about being open with one another!" Lavinia snapped despite herself, practically throwing the box of tea bags onto the counter and turning to face Avacyn. "As a member of the student council and the guildleader of Azorius, the business of the student body is my business. And your refusal to return home isn't something I should turn a blind eye to, given my position."

"Is it really so important to you?" Avacyn asked, retreating a bit.

"If we're going to be working together from here on out, it's only logical that we be more open with one another." Lavinia sighed. "If something is keeping you from returning home, I need to know what it is, both as a member of the student council... and as your friend and ally."

Much to Lavinia's surprise, Avacyn turned away, the beginnings of what looked like a frown tugging at the edges of her lips.

"I live in the shadow of my namesake." She uttered. "The original Avacyn was... probably is still perfect in every way. An entire plane turned to her for guidance. She lifted curses and roused people to fight in her name. She's perfect... and it seems I live in complete juxtaposition of her. I have tried, time and again, to do things as she did. But each time I fall short, farther and farther. It's my fault that Jace fell under the control of Nicol Bolas- I couldn't stop it from happening. And the look my father gave me when he found out..." She noticeably shivered.

"He looks at me and sees her, and sees everything I'm not- I know he does. I saw it..." Avacyn paused, taking in a long, quiet breath and held it as she looked down at the floor. There was so much more she wanted to say- Lavinia could tell by the look in her eyes- but she had no idea how to word herself. "...He wants me to live a normal life, but how can I, knowing I'm... a lesser copy of someone much, much greater than me?"

"Avacyn, I-" Lavinia began to say before Avacyn shook her head, forcing her to cut herself off.

"It's the years finally wearing down on me, I'm sure. I've watched this plane fall and rise again, all without my help. This plane doesn't need a guardian angel." She muttered.

"You're wrong!" Lavinia suddenly exclaimed, looking instantly like she was embarrassed for even speaking. Her cheeks reddened a bit as she cleared her throat. "I mean, maybe you're not meant to be a guardian at such a grandiose scale, but you've brought all of us together to save Ravnica. You're our rock, Avacyn- our guardian angel. And... if it means anything to you, I will gladly fight in your name."

A silence fell over the two of them as they stared back at one another. Lavinia, with her face turning a very vivid shade of red, turned around and began to fumble about with the tea bags.

"Goodness, that... sounded like a confession or something, didn't it? ...Not that I meant it that way, my intentions weren't like that, I assure you, I-" She sighed in defeat, her shoulders slumping. "...do you want any tea?"

"I... I'm fine." Avacyn shook her head. Another length of silence came upon them as Lavinia went about grabbing a mug and a teakettle. "...But, getting back on track, your nightmare-"

"Oh, right, that..." Lavinia jumped a bit. She rubbed the back of her head as she began to fill the teakettle with water. Laughing nervously to herself she looked back at Avacyn with a shy smile on her face. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a lot better."

"My apologies, if I diverted the conversation too much." Avacyn began to excuse.

"No, it's alright. Maybe I just needed someone to talk with, that's all." Lavinia smiled. "Thanks."

"... No problem." Avacyn spoke quietly, allowing Lavinia to go back to work making her tea. A warm feeling swelled in Avacyn's chest- something familiar but at the same time all too different. She couldn't quite give what she felt a name, but at the very least it caused the quiet angel to smile to herself.

* * *

Ral pushed through the lunchtime crowds that slowly moved through the hallway, arms full of freshly photocopied papers that still felt warm to the touch. He had called a guild meeting- the first official meeting he himself had arranged since becoming the Izzet guildleader- in a possible attempt to rouse the entire guild to aid them in their cause to fight against Nicol Bolas. He knew it was risky- he wasn't sure just how far Bolas' influence reached- but at the same time he knew the tiny little resistance Avacyn had gathered up wouldn't be enough to stop an elderdragon who could probably squish them like bugs with one of his clawed fingers. What they needed was brains, and who else was there to provide that sort of kind of resource besides the Izzet?

Finally arriving at the guild's meeting room he paused, thinking over just how to address the members. It was especially difficult to come up with a convincing argument as to why they- a bunch of high school-aged students who saw more battle on online MMOs than in real life- should stand against a creature who could probably flick them away like flies. He'd been up most of the night preparing after nightmares had refused to let him have even the slightest hope of having a fitful night's sleep, and even now he was still revising what he would say. Part of him even considered just ripping it off like a bandaid and not sugarcoating anything- just discarding his entire prepared speech and just shouting whatever came to mind ("You either help us, or we're all going to probably die- even though you might die helping us" for example).

"Ugh, how does Avacyn do it?" He muttered to himself. "Even I still don't know how she managed to convince me to do this..."

Fumbling his way through the door- using his elbows and body to open the door instead of his hands- he backed into the room and took a long deep breath before turning around...

Only to find there was not a single person there. At first he figured maybe he was early, but he remembered whenever Niv Mizzet called meetings people had made sure to arrive regardless of schedule conflicts- or maybe that was simply because Niv Mizzet was a dragon who could fry their brains if he wanted. But still- not even a single person was waiting for him.

"Of all the disrespectful things..." He muttered, turning to place the stack of papers on the counter nearest the door- coming to find there had been at least one other person in the room, lurking in his blind spot. He would have been relieved if not for who it actually was.

"Ah! Miss... Revane, was it?" He asked the elf who was currently eyeing him coldly. She had been the head of the team that lead the investigation of Niv Mizzet's death, and it was no secret even beforehand that she wasn't the biggest fan of humans. And even if Ral had never heard about that detail, the glare she it him with was enough to convey that much. "...U-um, what are you doing here?"

"I sent all those little followers of yours away." She explained in a chilling voice as she drew near, and now that she was closer, Ral could now see that she had very noticeable bags under her eyes. "I don't want anyone interrupting..."

"I-interrupting what exactly?" Ral questioned, feeling immediately uneasy. She answered him not with words, but with actions as she swiftly raised her hand and Ral felt the cool chill of something pressed against his forehead. Adjusting his gaze, he came to find she had raised a gun and had it pressed to his forehead. Gasping, he dropped the papers to the floor, resisting the urge to jump backward when he noticed her finger was on the trigger.

"Ho-holy shit!" He exclaimed.

"Be quiet!" Nissa growled, centering the barrel of the gun so that it was pointed right between Ral Zarek's eyes. "Make any more noise and I swear to the gods I will blow your filthy brains out!"

"O-okay, okay, I-I-I-" Ral stammered, raising his hands in surrender.

"Shut up!" She snapped. "Where is it!?"

"..." Ral remained tight lipped, feeling his heart race.

" _Well_!?"

"What!? W-Where is what!?" Ral gasped, flinching.

"You freed yourself from Nicol Bolas' mind control, didn't you!?" Nissa questioned. "Surely your own magic probably didn't do you much good, so you _must_ have used some outside source! _Where is it_!?"

"Wh... why do you need it?" Ral dared to ask. "I mean, what could you possibly-?"

"Did I ask for questions, human!?" Nissa questioned, squeezing the trigger a little harder.

" _Fuck_! Shit! No, I- I mean-" Ral cried out. "I-It's something Niv Mizzet developed! We're keeping it under lock and key!"

"Take me to it, then!" Nissa snarled.

"B-but, we only have one left! And we're saving it to use on-"

"Did I even ask!?" She interrupted. "Take me to it, or I take you out. And trust me, I'll have no qualms doing it. I have nothing much else left to lose at this point, and with Nicol Bolas pretty much guarantied to get what he came here I figured I'd take my chances."

"Gh... Fine!" Ral agreed, sounding absolutely forced. "J-just put the gun away, alright!" Nissa glared back at him angrily but at the very least she lowered her weapon. Ral heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"If you dare try and run, or try and get people to help, I won't hesitate to shoot you, do you understand?" Nissa snarled.

Ral tensed up once again.

"I-I get it, I get it. No funny business... But..." He muttered. "Just tell me why you're doing this! What we have could possibly save everyone! Why are you-?"

"Tell me, human, have you ever been in love?" Nissa asked cryptically.

"W-What!? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I thought so." Nissa spat. "Nicol Bolas is way to powerful for a bunch of kids like you to take down, and I'm not going to put my fate and the fate of everyone I care about in your hands. I'd rather fend for myself and correct my own mistakes..."

"Your own mistakes...?"

"Forget it, I've already said too much! That thing you created? It's going to go to waste. You'll most certainly die before you can even get to use it. I'm going to put it to better use before you fools ruin everything." Nissa frowned sharply. "Now... lead the way."


	37. The Enemy of My Enemy

"Ral!" Liliana shouted, Lavinia and Tajic close behind her. There was no waiting for the others that they assumed Ral had also sent his text message to- whoever had shown up at the elevator to the underground library at the time were the ones who got to take it down.

He was waiting where his message had specified- where they were keeping their trump card meant for Jace locked away- slumped over the safe and looking hardly his best: One of his eyes was completely swelled shut and the skin around it a deep purple, and a crimson trail of blood lead from his nose, past his lips, all the way to his chin. A wound also stood out prominently on his lip, and blood was smeared across his face from where he'd tried wiping it away with the back of his hand. He had other minor bruises and scrapes, as well, all signs of his very obvious losing fight he had suffered.

"What took you?" He weakly chuckled as he turned his head and spit mostly blood onto the floor.

"This isn't the time for jokes, Ral!" Lavinia loudly scolded despite the fact she dropped to his side to inspect his wounds. Ral halfheartedly shrugged away.

"Ral, where is the syringe?" Tajic asked frantically, taking a shaky step toward the very empty safe. "Where is the spell!?"

"What? No 'are you okay, Ral', no 'do you need to go to the hospital, Ral'?" Ral Zarek grumbled. "Oh, don't mind me, just sitting here on the ground, bleeding. It's just something I like doing- a hobby, even!"

" _Ral_!" Liliana snapped. Ral clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked away, holding his head in pain.

"Well it obviously not here. That _bitch_ took it with her- after she decided to beat the ever-loving shit out of me..."

"Who are you talking about, Ral? Who was here!?" Lavinia questioned urgently, grasping his shoulder and holding back every urge to shake him in frustration.

"Didn't I tell you guys in the text!?" Ral complained.

" _No_ , you literally just said you were in the library," Liliana sighed. "Forgive us if we were too busy being worried about you to stop and ask for the details."

"...It was that elven woman who was here when Niv Mizzet was murdered, Nissa Re-something or other..." Ral muttered, leaning against the safe a little more.

"Nissa Revane!?" Liliana gasped. "What could she possibly want with the spell!?"

"Hell if I know!" Ral snapped back, straightening up for a short moment before swaying back and fourth and needing to be supported by Lavinia. "She ambushed me in the Izzet meeting room with a damn _gun-_ before any of you start giving me shit about not trying to stop her! Bitch literally threatened to kill me if I didn't take her here!"

"She didn't say anything about why she'd need it?" Tajic asked. "...You don't think she's working for Nicol Bolas, do you?"

"No! No way that... that's impossible!" Liliana shook her head.

"We shouldn't turn a blind eye to the possibility, though. If we don't know what her motives were, we have to expect the worst." Lavinia said, sounding a bit defeated.

"But... she _said_..." Liliana muttered before Ral spoke up.

"I don't know if this will even help, but she spoke a lot of nonsense while she was holding me at gunpoint." He mentioned. "It sounded like she was doing what she was doing for her own gain, though- not for Nicol Bolas."

"What did she say?" Liliana asked in desperation. "Anything we might be able to use? A clue, maybe?!"

"W-well..." Ral mumbled thoughtfully before perking up a bit. "... She said something that seemed a little out of place when I tried to figure out why she wanted the spell. She asked me... if I'd ever been in love before? And... some bullshit about wanting to correct her own mistakes- it didn't make any sense to me."

"In love?" Lavinia questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Seems weird to you, too, huh?" Ral grunted. "I mean, who could that hateful bitch even love, anyway?"

"Oh... _ooh no_..." Liliana muttered, feeling panic begin to build at the pit of her stomach. "It's Emmara."

"E-Emmara?" Tajic questioned, sounding unconvinced. "Like... Emmara Tandris, the school nurse? _That_ Emmara?"

"I don't think..." Lavinia muttered, shaking her head.

"Well I _know_!" Liliana shouted. "It seems really crazy, I know, but the two of them used to be engaged, and were working on patching things up recently."

"Gods, talk about your opposites attracting..." Ral chortled.

"Ral, this is serious!" Liliana snapped. "I think she's going to use the spell to try and wake Emmara up from her coma!"

"Shit, that's no good. I mean, we have no idea if doing that will wake up the people Bolas put into a coma! I mean, all we know is that it can free people from mind control, but we have no idea if mind control is what's keeping people in a coma or not!" Ral gasped, attempting to stand before he was forced back down by Lavinia. "It's too risky- it might even make things worse for someone in Emmara's condition!"

"What are you saying?" Liliana asked cautiously.

"I'm saying, at best it could do nothing- Emmara is freed from mind control, but still stuck in a coma. At worst..." Ral paused, biting his bloodied lip. "It could possibly kill her, or maybe even lock her in her coma forever. Nicol Bolas didn't really account for anyone awake under his control having an ounce of will to help themselves, like us, but he probably prepared for people trying to magically force people into waking up from their forced sleep-state. What Nissa plans to do could potentially turn Emmara into a vegetable the rest of her life."

"No..." Liliana gasped quietly, shook her head and held a hand over her mouth.

"...Liliana, are you-?" Tajic began to ask before Liliana spoke back up, cutting him off.

"Both of you, stay here with Ral! I need to get to the hospital!"

"Don't you think you'll need at least a little help?" Tajic questioned. "I mean, just look at what she did to Ral!"

"I'll be fine. And besides, this is something I need to face on my own." Liliana assured him. "Nissa's not the only one who has to correct her mistakes."

Liliana spun around without another word and dashed away down the long corridors of shelves, vanishing around a corner. The three left behind sat in silence a moment, looking between one another nervously.

"Liliana... she must really like Emmara, huh?" Ral pointed out.

"Of course she does, idiot." Lavinia sighed. "Back when she was still in social exile, Emmara was the one friend Liliana had. And, if what she says is anything to go by, they've been friends longer than any of us can boast. If anyone is going to stop Nissa from doing the unthinkable, it's her."

"Yeah- if she makes it." Ral quipped, getting a slap on the head in return from the Azorius guildleader.

"OW! What the-hey, a little injured already here!" He complained, both hands pressed against where she had struck him.

"Sorry, sorry, force of habit." Lavinia apologized, only sounding half-convincing.

"That sure is a nasty habit to have!" Ral snarled. "And people say Boros are the bullies of the student council guilds..."

"Um-" Tajic spoke up, waiting for the tumultuous conversation to die out before he continued. "Why did Nissa, well... give your ass such a kicking once you led her hear. I mean, I hardly see why she'd have a reason to... aside from the obvious."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ral grumbled, but Tajic remained decidedly quiet. Ral rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, not hiding an ounce of his annoyance.

"If you must know, when we finally got here I figured, maybe, I could possibly try resisting her and buy some time. I expected the brawl to go on a while, but before I could really try anything she wound up kicking my ass. I charge up one, single lightening spell and she had me on the ground in seconds. I tried putting up a fight but... well, you see where that got me. I honestly thought I was going to die."

"What, did she hand you your ass that hard?" Lavinia teased.

"Wh-no! I mean, there's no covering up the fact she _bested me in combat_ but I wouldn't over-exaggerate about it like that!" Ral muttered. "I mean once she had the spell she took out her gun and pointed it at me, like she really was going to shoot me dead once she had what she wanted. I honestly thought, after all the 'filthy humans' talk she wouldn't have an issue with killing me... but to be perfectly honest, for a second she seemed... I don't know, kind of sad. Kind of _sorry_ , actually. She wound up leaving the library and leaving me here to bleed."

"She looked 'sorry'? After all that?" Lavinia questioned, sounding doubtful.

"It was a strange encounter from start to finish, but I feel that was probably the weirdest part of it." Ral nodded. "N-not that I'm not glad she didn't shoot me, or anything!"

"Well, let's get Ral to the infirmary. If anything were broken or if he was concussed I think we would have noticed something by now" Tajic sighed as he dropped down opposite Lavinia and positioned things so that on one of Ral's arms was resting over his shoulders. Lavinia did the same as the two of them slowly stood- Lavinia completely and Tajic with his knees bent and back hunched to keep things balanced.

"...You guys think Liliana will be able to stop Nissa all by herself?" Ral asked. "Maybe one of you should go after her."

"She'll be fine- I hope..." Lavinia said, pausing thoughtfully. "She said she wanted to do things on her own, so who were we to tell her any different?"

"Um, people who could potentially stop Nissa from handing Liliana her ass, maybe?" Ral responded sharply.

"I don't think it's going to come to blows. Liliana isn't as hasty as you." Tajic chuckled a bit. "And... honestly, if she needs help at all, she could always make a stop by the morgue."

"Tajic! Don't even joke about that sort of thing!" Lavinia scolded. "Necromancy is... ugh, don't tell Liliana this, but it makes my skin crawl. The dead should just stay dead."

"Sorry, sorry." Tajic laughed. "Liliana knows better, I'm sure she won't resort to animating corpses to stop Nissa."

Internally, though, Tajic knew he was only half right. Liliana _did_ know better... but that probably wouldn't actually stop her.

* * *

Tajic couldn't have been more right. Before Liliana could storm up to the floor where Emmara was being cared for, the fact she had come alone, foolishly, struck her like a brick. It was a noble thing to do at first- deciding to go it alone and stop Nissa by herself- but now that she was there she began to have her share of doubts. And taking care of someone who was obviously agitated and, according to Ral, armed all on her own didn't sound like the smartest of game plans.

So, despite the fact she had been dealing with little time to begin with, a short trip to the morgue was in order. She could have just as easily called Gideon or Chandra or Avacyn, but that involved having to stand in one place and wait for them. The other three couldn't get out of class to check up on Ral when he sent out a mess text saying he'd gotten beaten up, so Liliana could only imagine she'd be made to wait longer than her liking. Liliana preferred to move and use the... resources that were more immediately available to her.

In a rush, she traveled down into the basement. Much to her luck she found the morgue unguarded and a lock that was easy to pick. With no one to stop her and no one to trick into letting her make off with a few of the bodies, she at the very least had the luxury to be picky with her choices. Sliding out drawer after drawer of cold, pale, motionless corpses, Liliana weighed her options. One was too fat, one was far too young to be of any use, a few were missing body parts- she at least needed someone who could protect her if a fight did break out. She settled on a man who appeared to have brought down very recently who had died of a drug overdose and another who had taken his own life.

Necromancy took a lot out of Liliana, which was why she hardly ever used it. She preferred simpler spells- ones to rot flesh and to break bone. Destructive spells were easy to cast- it was the spells to breath life into the dead that were difficult. Just drawing upon the mana to do it made her legs weak. Her head spun as she uttered her spell quietly, trying her very hardest not to stutter or slur. With each corpse she rose, it felt like she was dragging air out of her own lungs and vitality out of her own limbs to give to them. By the time the second man slowly sat up and shambled out of the drawer, Liliana felt like she was going to pass out. Gasping for breath, she caught herself on the desk set up in the room, clutching at her head that felt like it was full of lead. She shook herself, refusing to embrace the tempting feeling of losing consciousness, knowing that if she did the spell would wear off and she would have to do it all over again.

Wiping sweat from her brow she watched as her zombified servants staggered over to her, quietly grunting and moaning as they adapted to walking on their legs that were stiffened by rigor mortis. Stumbling to a stop in front of her, they stood at attention, as if awaiting her orders. Liliana, on the other hand, had to wait until the room had finished spinning before she could even speak.

"I'm getting too old for this..." She muttered to herself before she found the strength to stand upright to address her new undead servants. "Follow me."

Walking to the elevator, Liliana felt like a zombie herself, still weak from using the spell. She wondered if this was a better trade off for just going to meet Nissa alone: going to meet Nissa feeling like she was seconds away from passing out. Riding up to the floor where Nissa and Emmara would most likely (or at least still hopefully) be, she even considered resting her eyes for a second- just leaning on the guardrail and just letting her eyelids that were fluttering open and closed rest for a bit. However, as she began to seriously entertain the idea, the elevator let out a ping and the doors slowly slid open. Liliana took in a deep breath and attempted to regain her composure as she lead the slow charge out of the elevator.

Immediately something in the air didn't seem right. Everything was too... quiet- that and some sickeningly sweet scent hung in the air. She looked to the front desk to find the nurse stationed there was fast asleep, her head resting in the keyboard of her computer. Looking just beyond her, Liliana noticed one of the doctors resting on the floor against one of the cabinets, his arm limply raised and hand resting on the desk above him. So many other people were lying about, some looking like they had just sat down to take a nap, others looking like they had just dropped to the floor and dropped whatever they were doing. Aside from the sound of medical equipment whirring, buzzing and beeping, the entire floor was silent. No doubt this was the work of a spell- not that Liliana could complain about this, at least. It made her job a little easier not having to explain to anyone what she was doing with a couple of zombies in paper hospital gowns.

Stepping over bodies, papers and equipment that had probably clattered to the floor with them, Liliana made her way to Emmara's room, coming to find the door was closed. She reached out to turn the handle, but it wouldn't budge. She tried a little harder and rammed the wooden door with her shoulder, but the door refused to give.

"Nissa, I know you're in there!" She shouted, pounding on the door. "Open up the door!" She only bellowed her request once- she hardly had the time and patience to ask any more than that. Pounding on the door once more she stepped back and looked over to her undead followers and motioned toward the door. In no time, both of them were attacking the door, using enough force to probably actually damage themselves internally, but Liliana didn't care, so long as it meant getting into the room. She called mana to her fingertips, ready to cast any number of defensive and offensive spells as the wood of the door began to crack, just in case they were met with opposition.

With yet another crack and a shrill screech, the door was both shattered and twisted from it's hinges. Liliana's undead servants charged into the room, following bits of the broken door.

"Stop!" Liliana commanded as she, too, stumbled into the room. Pushing the two zombies back a bit she came to find Nissa hunched over Emmara's body, the needle of the syringe she'd stolen uncapped and at the ready to be stuck into Emmara's neck. She looked conflicted, both about the two zombies who had just come crashing into the room with Liliana and with what she was about to do. There was little doubt in Liliana's mind that she hadn't been holding the same pose long before Liliana had arrived.

"Nissa, put the needle down and listen to me-" She began to say after catching her breath.

"Shut up! I have to do this!" Nissa shouted back, gripping the syringe tighter in her hand that had begun to shake. "All this time I've done nothing good for Emmara... never done good by her. Just this once I want to..."

"..." Liliana bit her lip. "...You've probably already considered what this might do, haven't you?" Nissa only answered back with a choked grunt as she sharply frowned. "You know there's just as much of a chance that you could kill her with that as it could help her. You're not a fool."

"What else can I do!?" Nissa cried. "Emmara is like of this because of me... There's a better chance of this helping her than actually going up against Bolas and winning against him. This could... I could..."

"What are you saying?" Liliana asked. "Just the other day you were more than happy to heap the blame on me and now you're going on about this being your fault?"

"The day Emmara almost jumped off the school roof... I had planned to defect from Nicol Bolas' ranks and tell her everything. I was a fool to even consider such a thing... he did this to her to punish me, because I thought I could finally be free..." Nissa muttered. "I was told you could have also been the cause of all of this... you turning against Nicol Bolas... I honestly couldn't stand the fact that this was all my fault... that I did this to her..." Nissa's body stiffened as she choked back a sob. "I couldn't help her once before. I stood there and did nothing and watched her die! I'm not going to just stand by and let it happen again! This time I'm going to do something!"

"So you don't want to stand by and watch Emmara die, but you'll put her life in danger yourself just to ease your guilt!?" Liliana asked harshly.

"What else do you expect me to do!? Trying to stop Bolas would be suicide!"

"And doing this to Emmara might be murder!" Liliana shot back.

"Nng..." Nissa turned her head, refusing to budge.

"Nissa please... Emmara wouldn't want you to do this. She wouldn't want you to risk everything just for a chance to save her. Do you realize how unhappy she would be if you brought her back only to have this place be torn asunder? Even if there wasn't a chance you could kill her with that, you'd be bringing her back to a world doomed to die. Without that spell, we don't have a chance at stopping Bolas at all. What you have in your hands is our last hope- this plane's last hope. If you use it now, you've doomed all of us! And Emmara... even if this does work, and she does live, you might as well have killed her."

"No..." Nissa shook her head, but Liliana had a feeling she wasn't saying it in response to what she had said. "No, I... I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Nissa?" Liliana spoke softly, daring to approach the elf only to find she was crying.

"I didn't mean for this to happen I... All my fault... All my fault..." She continued to mutter, eyes still fixed on Emmara as she cried. "I just... I thought I could..."

"Nissa!" Liliana spoke again a little more firmly as she reached out and grasped her shoulder. Nissa gasped and drew away, finally pulling herself and the syringe away from Emmara. Liliana couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief despite the situation. "Nissa, what's wrong?"

Nissa cast her gaze down at the ground, sniffling.

"...Did you ever do anything you regret in your past life?" She asked, much to Liliana's surprise.

"Well... yeah, of course, plenty of things... but why...?" Liliana questioned.

"Emmara made me forget all of that. When I'm alone, the guilt feels like it could crush me. It wasn't me who did all of those things, and yet it feels like the blame rests with me. I lived with it for a long time before I met her... both then and now..." Nissa looked over to Emmara with tears in her eyes. "Emmara was the only person who made me forget about all that. Being with her... She only sees the good in people, you know. So knowing she could love someone like me... made me think there was actually something still good about me. I just... I want to see her smile at me again. I want someone who can make me feel like the things I've done don't define me..."

"I know how you feel..." Liliana sighed, her thoughts wandering to Jace despite how much it hurt to do so. "To have someone like that in your life... it's something you never want to lose. But if you go ahead of this, you could lose that and more! Please... help us. If not for us, than for Emmara. She isn't like us, she wouldn't have memories of another place she could possibly return to. Ravnica has always been Emmara's home."

"But... Bolas..." Nissa began to protest.

"Look, I know it seems impossible. We all probably thought the same thing the last time we stood against him. But we stood in the face of impossible odds-"

"-And lost."

"And yet here we are! I know this whole reincarnation thing was supposed to be a curse, but maybe this was the former Living Guildpact's way of hoping we might try again to save Ravnica!" Liliana insisted. "We've all been given a second chance to get things right, so please..." Liliana paused as she reached out her hand, wordlessly asking for the syringe. "Don't squander this chance."

Nissa looked down at the syringe in her hand pensively. With what appeared to be a bit of difficulty, she slowly stretched out her own hand and, ever-so-carefully, rested the vile in Liliana's upturned palm.

"...But what can I do now...?" Nissa muttered, letting her hand linger there, fingers still slightly curled around the glass.

"You can stand with us." Liliana offered. "I know, I know, we're a bunch of filthy humans, but right now we're working towards the same goal. We need to cast our differences aside, at least for now, for Ravnica... and for Emmara."

"...Fine." Nissa finally gave as she removed her hand but left behind the syringe. "But I'm doing this for Emmara, alright? Don't get any ideas that I'm doing this to save the rest of you."

"Heh, whatever helps you sleep at night." Liliana chuckled. "Welcome aboard."

* * *

"That was Liliana." Lavinia announced as she walked back into the infirmary. "Long story short, she got the spell back."

"No thanks to good ol' Ral here." Chandra teased. Her and Gideon had caught them on their way to the infirmary, and had stuck around instead of returning to class mostly to wait to hear back from Liliana. "Not to say it isn't nice to see someone finally put your ass in it's place."

"Piss off, Nalaar." Ral snapped back. "You're one to talk, though, about needing to be put in your place."

"You know, setting you on fire sounds really, really tempting right about now." Chandra threatened.

"Let's not go setting anyone on fire- especially since we don't actually have anyone with any medical experience here." Tajic said scoldingly as he finished wrapping Ral's wrist that had begun swelling, probably from a sprain. Originally Miss Ses, the theater teacher, had been overseeing things in the infirmary (albeit part time, and not at the level of efficiency Emmara once had) but had been called away and trusted them to handle themselves- and especially not to go setting one another on fire, that was for sure.

"All the better..." Chandra grumbled under her breath before Gideon lightly bopped her on the head.

"Save the threatening to broil someone alive for another day." He scolded jokingly. "I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to teach Ral to watch his mouth."

"Yeah, I bet his ego probably wouldn't be able to handle two ass-beatings in one day, anyway." Chandra snorted.

"Oh, yeah, let's all poke fun at the guy who could have gotten shot. Real kind of you, guys." Ral grumbled sarcastically.

"Alright." Lavinia sighed, hands on her hips. "Unless you all still need my help here I need to get back to class. Now that everything's been taking care of, unless I'm needed here, I'm just wasting my time standing around."

"No, we're all good here." Tajic assured her. "Ral's a handful, but he's not _that_ much of a handful."

"Well, if you need me, you have my number." Lavinia chuckled, waving her hand dismissively as she turned and left the infirmary, catching something that sounded like Chandra trying to bribe Tajic to hold Gideon back while she branded something obscene on Ral's behind as she left. Part of her wondered if it was really alright for her to leave, but she had no choice. She did have somewhere to be... but it wasn't class. Instead Lavinia made her way to the stairs and up to the top floor. A lot of the windows had their shutters closed, and the hallway was dimly lit. The dean was in, and his shift was lasting a lot longer than usual, seeing as how he'd... essentially made himself at home.

Dean Markov had always made her a little uneasy. She didn't like listening to rumors that were too far-fetched to her liking (ghosts haunting the school, people thinking they could summon demons in the science wing, things like that), but she always caught wind of the rumors that the dean was really a vampire that was using the academy to harvest students. The logical side of her had refused to believe any of it, but the small part of her always thought it oddly... fit. So, when Avacyn had imparted to her, Ral and Tajic that the ridiculous rumors were actually true (true that Dean Markov was a vampire, not that he was feeding off of students) she couldn't help but find it a little unsurprising. So now things like this- the times when the hall leading to the deans office was blocked off from sunlight- made a little more sense.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked once she had made her way down the hall and opened the door to Dean Markov's office just enough so she could poke her head inside. He was sitting at his desk, cheek resting in his upturned hand with his fingers pressed to his forehead. At first, it seemed he was studying the papers on his desk but, after a while of waiting for him to respond and getting nothing in return, Lavinia realized the dean was... sleeping?

"Um... sir?" She called into the room, a little louder than the first time. This time, the dean's eyes snapped open, waking up from his nap effortlessly, hardly seeming groggy or tired as he sat up and cleared his throat.

"Well, this is... embarrassing." He muttered.

"It happens to the best of us, Dean Markov." Lavinia assured him as she stepped into the room. "You... wanted to see me."

"I take it Avacyn has recruited you? She hasn't relayed anything to me, but I... keep my ear to the ground around here- these days, at least." Dean Markov sighed. "I hope she knows what she's doing, dragging the rest of you into this."

"We were dragged into this long before she came along, sir, trust me." Lavinia explained. "We're just doing what we feel is right."

"It's Sorin, by the way."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"It makes little sense to refer to one another so formally, seeing as we're essentially comrades now." Sorin elaborated. "Just 'Sorin' will do from now on- all this 'sir' talk reminds me of Avacyn... which, as a matter of fact, is why I called you here."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry it took so long!" Lavinia apologized. "There was... an issue. It's all resolved now, but it required my attention."

"It's alright, the matter I needed to discuss with you is hardly time sensitive." Sorin shook his head. "I've come to learn that you're the one who is currently housing my daughter. She hasn't been returning home for quite some time, and I was... beginning to worry."

"Why don't you tell her that yourself, then?" Lavinia asked, raising an eyebrow. "When she talks about you, she always seems so self-conscious about your relationship with her. Don't you think letting her know your worried about her help with all that?"

"It's never been in Avacyn's best interest to be stubborn- that is until recently. I've called her many times, but she refuses to respond." Sorin shook his head. "Avacyn has always felt... inferior to her original, no matter how much I try to assure her. A single mistake can drag her right back down after I try so hard to raise her up. And maybe I reacted a little too... strongly the last time we spoke." Sorin paused before clearing his throat and gaining composure.

"The fact of the matter is she has made it very clear she doesn't wish to speak with me, so I'm left to call upon you."

"...Alright. What do you need to know? I'm afraid we haven't made a lot of progress in our plans to run the maze just yet. She intends to have us train in defending ourselves first before any of that-" Lavinia began to explain.

"No, none of that. I have faith Avacyn will be able to prepare all of you for battle, despite the odds stacked against you. I didn't call you for a debriefing." Sorin cut her off. "I just... want to know how she's doing, that's all."

"How she's... doing?" Lavinia parroted. "She's... she's doing fine. She seems a little sad, I mean, there is that. But... she's sleeping fine through the night and keeping in high-enough spirits. I-I'll make sure nothing happens to her, you have my word. You're daughter's among friends, she'll be fine- we'll make sure of it sir- I mean... Sorin."

"Well, it's good to hear Avacyn isn't without a support system." Sorin said, sounding relieved.

"Is there... any message you want me to pass along? She may be ignoring you, but maybe she'll listen to me?" Lavinia offered, but Sorin shook his head.

"Just make sure she doesn't lose her head in all of this. I created her after the war, so she's never really gone up against Nicol Bolas when he's on the offensive." He told her. "Just... keep her safe, that's all I ask."

"...You have my word." Lavinia nodded. "I... We all care for Avacyn very much. I mean, aside from Liliana, the rest of us are all still kids in comparison... and I guess maybe I could have asked for a more orderly group, but still, the way they all interact makes everything seem a little... homely. We'll watch over Avacyn, you don't have to worry."

"I don't doubt that." Sorin chuckled. "Until things settle between Avacyn and I, would it be at all too much to ask you to be my eyes and ears?"

"Not at all. If anything happens, I'll be sure to let you know." Lavinia smiled. "...Oh and... Sorin?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're nothing like the rumors."


	38. Agree to Disagree

Nicol Bolas waited in the darkness of the old church building, the chill that drifted through the room not affecting him a bit aside from making his breaths white, translucent clouds. He'd taken on the form of a well-dressed business man- it seemed rather fitting for who he was waiting to meet. It had been several years since the last time, and it had hardly gone smoothly. And he could only imagine that things were going to go about the same way, given that person's lack of patience...

No, they could hardly be considered a person. They were more of a shadow that lurked just out of sight- a concept that had been given form. If the unsettling feeling people had alone in the dark had a name and a face it would probably be them. They were the personification of discomfort, which was why Nicol Bolas had come alone. They were terror incarnate, surely, but Bolas had seen larger horrors.

But even so, they were someone- or maybe something- who had earned Bolas' respect, so when they called upon him, even if it was to complain about having been made to wait too long, Bolas always answered. They were the reason he was there on the precipice of obtaining the ultimate power that was tucked away inside the maze, after all. They had been the creature who had whispered in his ear, foretelling of the struggle and destruction that would lead him to it. At the very least, Bolas owed them his presence.

Bolas stood at attention as the already cold room grew colder. The shadows that stretched across the walls and gathered in corners grew and stretched out towards him, like bony fingers reaching out to grab him. The elderdragon did nothing much in response, allowing the shadows to wash over him and drift passed. Something that mimicked the sound of distant, horrified screaming filled the air, but Bolas only clicked his tongue in response.

"Surely you've grown tired of these sorts of theatrics by now, haven't you?" He asked the growing darkness. The eerie screaming answered back before the shadows began to drift towards the center of the room. Converging into one, large mass, something that resembled a face hidden in shadow emerged from the mound of darkness. There were no eyes to be seen, but Bolas could feel his ghostly companion glaring at him. "Must you always put on a show when we meet?"

"You're trying my patience, Bolas." The shadow hissed, sounding like many people speaking all at once instead of just one person.

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" Bolas sneered. "You can complain all you like, but I hold the key now. This game will end when I say it does, and I've hardly gotten the proper amount of entertainment from it yet."

"You forget who brought you here- who gave you the opportunity in the first place!" The shadow snarled, their form stretching and growing as their immaterial body curled around Bolas like a black, shadowy noose. "You have what you need, this maze-running nonsense shouldn't be-"

"You haven't been the one waiting around thousands of years for this." Bolas eyed the phantom with an annoyed glance. "Just taking what I want would hardly make all the waiting I've done worth it. I'm going to watch as these maggots I've been forced to exist with struggle to stop me. If they're made to think there is a chance, then their sorrow will be all the more sweeter."

"You think I haven't done my share of waiting as well?" The shadow snarled. "I don't just exist in this reality. I am everywhere, I exist in everything. I am every little nightmare, every shiver up your spine. Just because I haven't been given physical form until recently doesn't mean I haven't been aware of the passing of time. And unlike you, I'd rather hurry up and get the job done!"

"You'll get what I owe you in due time. I'd hoped what I've given you already would sate you until the time came, but it seems you're a little more of a glutton than I once thought." Bolas smirked. "Or maybe you're losing your touch."

"The minds of a few sleeping guildleaders are hardly enough in comparison to what I've been promised. You can only pray on something for so long before it grows stale." They spat back. "You have Beleren, the maze is open- maybe you're the one losing their touch, if you're still so hesitant to take what's been laid out before you."

"You take my taking my time for hesitance, friend." Bolas chuckled, waving his hand in front of his face to brush aside shadowy smoke that had begun to hang in his face. "Just think of it as... an inability to stop playing with my food. I'm going to savor every last bit of these fool's misery and sad attempts to stop me that I can. So you can complain and make empty threats all you want, we're waiting until the maze running as we discussed before."

"Do not push me, Bolas." The shadow snarled. "Even some creature like you has something they're afraid of, don't force me to drag it out of you."

"And see, there you go. You're all nothing but talk and smoke, as always." Bolas smirked once more. "Because you _need_ me. And, as grateful as I am to you for getting me this far, I'll be taking the reigns from here, and you can keep lurking in those shadows. You'll get what we agreed upon when I'm done here."

* * *

Chandra had been looking forward to visiting the underground library after class the entire day since she had gotten her message from Avacyn. She had something to give to her, and the mystery of what it possibly could be was intriguing and a lot more interesting than studying (which she had done very little of, admittedly). The anticipation had been what had gotten her through the foot end of a generally boring day, and she was ready for a little bit of excitement... until she got the the elevator and realized she wouldn't be the only person visiting the library that day.

"Well, if it isn't little-miss-hothead and her whipped boy toy." Ral was there, leaning against the wall while he waited for the elevator, smirking at them like their very presence was a joke. In that moment, every little bit of excitement or anticipation died a horrific death in the pit of Chandra's stomach, and the only thing she felt glad about was that she had decided to drag Gideon along.

"Unless you want _another_ girl to beat you senseless I suggest you keep your cute little nicknames to yourself, Ral." Chandra threatened. "I'm in no mood."

"Are you ever?" Ral chuckled as the wall before them split to reveal the elevator.

"Rude assholes first." Chandra offered as her and Ral eyed each other icily.

"Please, guys, could we not do this today?" Gideon practically pleaded as he wrapped his arm around Chandra and herded her into the elevator. "I get that you two aren't the closest of friends, but would it kill you to get along? We're here to rescue Jace and save Ravnica, not to watch you two go at each others throats every day. So could we cool it... just once?"

"Tell that to Ral's massive ego, not me." Chandra rolled her eyes as Ral joined them in the elevator. "He's always the one who starts everything."

"Oh don't play the poor, innocent victim here, Nalaar." Ral groaned. "You're so eager to antagonize me you'll jump at any chance to start a petty argument."

"So you're not denying you have an ego the size of the sun, then?" Chandra questioned, cocking her eyebrow.

"Can you blame me, when I have to associate myself with below-average hotheads like you every day?" Ral snapped back.

"You are so far up your own ass!" Chandra snarled as she took a threatening step forward. She would have continued if Gideon hadn't held her back. Despite his smirk, Ral took a cautionary step backwards. "You think you're so much better than everyone because you get good grades, but your GPA isn't going to save your A-S-S from getting fried!"

"Chandra, please, cool it!" Gideon practically begged. "Let's not do this here!"

"Yeah, that's right, listen to your handler." Ral snorted mockingly.

"That goes for you, too, Ral!" Gideon shot back. "Both of you need to learn to get along, and soon! Having these sorts of fights here seems harmless enough to you, but if you keep this up and are like this during the maze running you're going to get each other _killed_! If we want to pull this off, we need to work together and get along."

"Muscles does have a point." Ral sighed. "As much as I loath having to work together with the intellectual equivalent of cavemen, we should probably settle our differences as intellectuals and almost literal apes, yeah?"

Chandra merely clocked her tongue in annoyance as the elevator shuddered to a halt and the doors slid back open. She bit back whatever every other part of her just wanted to shout back at him and instead turned up her nose and made a b-line for the exit.

"Stuck up little- hold up for a second!" Ral groaned as he reached out and grabbed Chandra's shoulder. "I'm trying to-"

With a sharp gasp Chandra twisted around and slapped his hand away. Stumbling back a few steps she seemed just as surprised as Ral as she reached up and rubbed at her shoulder as if he had burned her. A short hush was followed by Ral chuckling to himself.

"What the hell was that gross overreaction?" He asked. "I mean, I get it, you hate me, but don't you think that was a bit over the top? What, were you, like, sexually assaulted as a kid or something?"

What happened next was almost instantaneous- so quick that Ral hardly had a chance to react or even take a breath between words. In the space of hardly even a second, Chandra lashed out and, with every inch of strength she could muster, struck Ral across the face with her hand. Both of their bodies flew to the side- Chandra from using her entire body to do something as simple as a slap and Ral from the force of Chandra's blow. He looked up, too shocked to even make a sound as he clutched as his cheek, already significantly red from having been struck. Chandra, on the other hand, unsteadily regained her bearings and moved to attack Ral again, this time a little more savagely it seemed. However, Gideon was able to react quick enough to grab her by the wrist and pull her back against him as she struggled against his grip.

"I'm going to weld your lips together, you asshole!" Chandra screamed as she writhed in attempts to escape from the hold Gideon struggled to keep on her. She hatefully glared back at Ral who had yet to wipe the shocked look from his features. Usually, there seemed to be something in Chandra's words where, no matter how many times she threatened to use violence, he figured she wouldn't actually make good on any of her threats. But now... he feared if Gideon let her slip away from him for a second, she really would attempt to fuse his lips together and probably burn off his entire face while she was at it.

"Chandra, stop! He didn't mean anything by it!" Gideon grunted as Chandra elbowed him in the side. "It was just a thoughtless comment, he doesn't know!"

"Of course he doesn't know!" Chandra cried out as she struggled. "Nobody knows! None of you knows what it feels like! So Ral can just make thoughtless comments and you can make me feel like I'm overreacting, because none of you _fucking know_!"

Finally, she tore herself away from Gideon, ungracefully stumbling in Ral's direction, who looked like he was about to bolt. Growling under her breath she glared back at him, both her hands clenched into fists as tiny, red embers slowly rose up from her palms. Lips drawn into a sickened snarl and her brow furrowing, Chandra stood her ground- looking like she was heavily weighing her options. Whether those options were either attack or not attack Ral, or what end to start burning him at was unclear until she grunted in frustration and turned back to the elevator.

"Chandra, hold on!" Gideon gasped. "What about Avacyn?"

"Just tell her I wasn't feeling up for it today." Chandra grumbled as she put up the hood of her jacket, which seemed odd to Ral but very telling to Gideon. Chandra only ever got self-conscious about her hair that was still terribly short when something made her uncomfortable. And that "something" that day had been Ral.

"Let me come with you." Gideon insisted before Chandra thrust out her hand, motioning for him to stop.

"I want to be _alone_ right now, Gideon." she said in what was almost a threatening tone. Gideon took one more step forward in protest, but as his gaze met hers his resolved wavered and he shrunk back. With a heavy sigh Chandra turned her back on him and Ral and walked back into the elevator- keeping herself facing away from them until the doors slid shut.

"...Seriously." Ral grumbled. "You're her boyfriend- what's her problem?"

"That's... not for me to say." Gideon attempted to explain as he turned to Ral. "Chandra's the one who would have to tell you, not me."

"Right, because she's so open to having a civil enough conversation for that." Ral muttered as he clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

"...And Ral?" Gideon added.

"Wha- Ow! What the hell!?" Ral exclaimed as Gideon punched him in the arm.

* * *

It took a whole day of Chandra keeping herself sparse for Gideon to come running to her dorm room the next day. She hadn't joined him at lunch, and had been very much absent at the library after school. Her phone was off whenever he tried to call and all of texts had gone unanswered. He knew she had told him she wanted to be alone, but there was only so much neglect he could take before worry consumed him. So, once he had the chance to excuse himself from the rest of the group, he swung by the diner to pick up two pieces of Chandra's favorite pie (or was it _his_ favorite pie...?) and hurried to the dorms.

He stood outside her dorm room in silence at first, remembering when she had locked herself inside of her room a whole week, refusing to see him. Back then he hadn't known why- he hadn't known just how much Chandra was suffering just beyond that door. But now he did, and he wasn't going to give up and leave- not this time. He was going to stay there all night if he had to!

"Chandra?" Gideon called as he lightly rapped on her door. He held back the urge to sound urgent, forcing himself to sound calm, collected and as friendly as possible. "It's Gideon. Are you there?"

No answer. Gideon felt his heart sink a bit, but he shook his head and continued, half in determination and half in stubbornness.

"...I have pie." He added. "Your favorite..."

At first, all there was in response was the same discouraging silence, but then Gideon felt his heart soar just a bit as he heard the lock on the door click and he put a considerable amount of effort into keeping from looking excited as the door slowly opened. Almost like she had expected some sort of attack, Chandra peered out from behind the door, a beanie pulled taught over her head.

"Apple pie?" She asked cautiously. Gideon cleared his throat nervously as he looked down at the bag that contained the boxes of pie that happened to actually be pecan flavor.

"Er- well, shoot, I guess it _was_ my favorite pie, then." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean... pie is pie, right? I've seen you eat pecan pie before, so I sort of figured... or were those the times I ordered for you?"

"What do you want, Gideon?" Chandra asked, sounding both exhausted and annoyed.

"I just wanted to check in- see how you're doing." Gideon admitted. "I haven't seen you since yesterday when Ral... I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Chandra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I... I'm not sure how you want me to answer that..." Gideon chuckled nervously. However, a glare from Chandra was enough to drain whatever humor he was trying to dredge up, and the weak chucking turned into Gideon awkwardly clearing his throat. "...Sorry... I can come back another time if you want."

"No, it's fine." Chandra sighed in a defeated tone as she stepped away from the door.

"Are you sure you want me to-?" Gideon began to ask.

"Get in here or I'm slamming the door in your face." She cut him off sharply. Gideon was quick to oblige, slipping into her dorm room and closing the door behind him. Now that they were alone, though, he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted desperately to hold her or to comfort her, but now didn't seem like the best time. He opted to stand right in the entry way, waiting for Chandra to beckon him further into the room as she flopped down onto her bed.

"...So... Kiora not here?" Gideon asked, trying to sound casual.

"She comes and goes- gets back late, leaves early." Chandra explained. "She's not much one for small talk these days- we haven't actually spoken a word to one another in weeks... which is fine." She sighed, knocking her heels against her bed frame. "One less person to ask me about my hair anyway..."

"What _have_ you been telling people?" He dared to ask.

"That I burned it off in some freak pyromancy accident. I used the same excuse for why I was absent from school." She chuckled weakly. "Everyone always buys it. Everyone always laughs. 'That's so like you, accidentally lighting your hair on fire'..." Her voice trembled a bit as her form crumpled forward. She gripped at the sheets she sat on. "And I have to keep laughing along with them because... it's _supposed_ to be funny."

"Ch-Chandra..." Gideon spoke up suddenly. He waited until she looked to him, wordlessly asking for him to continue. "Can I hold you?" She responded again with actions, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "I don't want to touch you if you don't want to be touched..."

"Idiot, you don't have to ask permission for something as simple as that..." Chandra grumbled, her eyes fixed on the ground below her.

"But I do!" Gideon insisted as he finally walked deeper into her room until he was standing in front of her, a good arm's length away. "Because... you were right, about what you said in the library. I don't know what it's like... I don't know if you don't want to be held, or if you're uncomfortable. All this time I've sort of just treated you like I always have because... well, I thought that was what you wanted. I've been assuming a lot of things. So, even if it's something as small as a hug, I need to know if you're alright with it."

Gideon felt himself almost get knocked backward as Chandra leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him without warning, In his surprise, he dropped the bag with the pie he had taken to go, but it was hardly his main concern. Ever so slowly, he lowered his arms and brought them around Chandra's quivering form as she buried her face against his chest.

"I was doing so well... I thought I was over it!" She cried, her words muffled by Gideon's shirt. "All it took was just one single word and now I... I feel so weak if someone just saying something to me can reduce me to... to _this_!"

"Don't say that..." Gideon said in a hushed tone. "You're strong because you're trying. You haven't given up. You're out there every day, giving the world hell. You're much stronger than you think you are, Chandra, and just because you have your bad days doesn't change that."

"Nnng..." Chandra mumbled, pulling back a bit but refusing to look up and meet his eyes.

"Heh, and I was there when you absolutely _destroyed_ Ral's face yesterday- seemed pretty strong to me." He added with a laugh. "Had him nursing his jaw _long_ after you left."

"He's such a dick..." Chandra grumbled.

"He just doesn't know better." Gideon corrected. "He's just a product of an environment where no one was willing to whip him into shape, but I figure you'll be more than happy to keep him and his big mouth in line, right?"

"Why do we even have to work with him, anyway?" Chandra asked bitterly. "I mean, yeah, sure, he found the spell that's going to help us save Jace but... he's such an _asshole_!"

"Well, your description of his personality is spot on... but we're going to need all the help we can get, even if it is from assholes like Ral." Gideon smirked. "Look, I'm not asking for you to make him your new best friend but... until this whole situation is behind us, he's our comrade just as much as anyone else."

"Ugh... I don't know..."

Gideon's phone chiming interrupted the two of them. With one arm still wrapped around Chandra, he apologized and retrieved the phone from his pocket. Chandra clicked her tongue in annoyance as she attempted to stop him from getting to it- albeit unsuccessfully.

"Can this wait?" She asked grumpily.

"It's from Avacyn, I'd rather not risk it." Gideon sighed as he read the message.

"I forget, which one of us are you dating again?" Chandra huffed. Gideon rolled his eyes.

"Seems she wants to see us back at the library. She says it's really important." He explained. "Should I tell her to save it for tomorrow?" Chandra turned her eyes skyward as she heaved a sigh, looking like she was putting a considerable amount of thought into her decision. "...Chandra?"

"I guess... if it's _so important_." Chandra said as she rolled her eyes. "But the second things go south, I'm out of there."

"I understand." Gideon smiled. "Shall we get going, then?"

"Wait!" Chandra exclaimed, holding him in place. Gideon looked down at her curiously as she turned away slightly, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. "...Hold me one last time before we go."

* * *

The library was cold as always, almost mimicking the chill of the outside, but Chandra hardly noticed as her and Gideon arrived in the usual meeting area of the chamber and came to realize they hadn't been the only ones Avacyn had called there. Lavinia, who looked concerned, stood beside Avacyn, eyes nervously darting to each person in the room, and near the edge, sitting in one of the old chairs that had been set up near the bookshelves, was Ral Zarek, looking just as unamused to see Chandra as she was to see him.

"This better be quick, I can only handle so much exposure to 'arrogant asshole'." Chandra quipped before anyone could say anything.

"And getting attacked for no actual reason isn't a personal pastime of mine, so, if you don't mind..." Ral agreed, looking to Avacyn who, much to everyone's surprise, wrinkled her nose in distaste for a brief second before taking a long, audible breath.

"Avacyn-" Lavinia began to urge before the white-haired girl shook her head and held up a hand to silence her.

"I understand a small dispute broke out between the two of you the other day, but I must ask you to put aside your differences. We have much more important matters to attend to than you two's petty feud." She spoke sharply, looking to Chandra and then Ral as she spoke, both of them straightening up as she turned to look at them. "So until we're done here, I ask we keep our little side comments to ourselves."

"Y-yes, ma'am..." Ral muttered.

"Sorry..." Chandra added.

"Good, now that we have that settled, I need both of you two to join me here." Avacyn said as she turned to the table at the center of the room that had been at her back. "I have something to give the two of you."

"You mean more than a lecture?" Ral asked, earning a glower from the angel that was enough to make him wither where he stood. "O-or not."

"Along with Miss Revane, the both of you specialize in elemental magics." Avacyn continued, sounding harsher than before. "That being said, none of you have been trained to weaponize those powers. In today's society, it's frowned upon to use magic to fight, so even promising powers like your own are never truly fully realized. But if we are to survive within the maze, it's going to be required you lean to use your storm magic and pyromancy effectively.

"In order to help you out on that end, I've been able to retrieve tools used by the former Ral Zarek and Chandra Nalaar- items that will no doubt aid you in learning to harness your powers. I've salvaged them the best that I could, but I still must ask you try to be a little gentle with them until they can be completely restored." She motioned to the table as Chandra and Ral finally drew near enough to see what she was talking about.

On the table were two archaic-looking gauntlets. One was a little more simply built- a rather regular-looking gauntlet fashioned from some sort of metal and meant to be strapped to an arm. A space at the top of where the hand would go had been hallowed out slightly, the metal around that particular space appearing to be slightly warped from heat. The other was a little more bulky and gaudy in comparison- fashioned from a golden alloy that glowed even under the dim lights of the library. It seemed more like a generator meant for someone to slip their arm through than a gauntlet, two completely other separate, bulky pieces attached to each other by a length of tube, possibly meant for power to be charged and stored, given how they looked.

Avacyn hadn't spoken a word of which gauntlet belonged to who, but both Chandra and Ral could feel a familiar tug from each of the items, as if the ghosts of their past still clung to them and were calling out to the both of them. Chandra was the first to reach out and take the more simple gauntlet, feeling something warm rush through her as she held it in her hands. A small, red glow emanated from the hand, as if greeting her.

"So this belonged to the original Chandra Nalaar, huh?" Chandra mused as she turned the gauntlet over in her hands, examining the object closely. Holding it felt equal parts overwhelming and comforting- like having the Chandra who had last used the gauntlet standing before her to judge her.

"And now it belongs to you." Avacyn nodded.

"Ugh, could the older me have bothered to make this thing a little more... compact?" Ral Zarek complained as he, too, picked up his own gauntlet and held it high above his head as he examined it. "I mean, I see it was built for a lot of power, but it can't be very easy to tote around and fight with."

"You're welcome to change aspects about them if you feel they're lacking, so long as you don't completely take them apart." Avacyn mentioned. "For now I just need for the two of you to put them on- just to get used to them and familiarize yourselves with them."

Chandra and Ral silently obeyed, slipping into and strapping on each of their gauntlets. Ral had a little harder a time, trying to find just the right way to attach the second piece to his belt and where to have the pipe that connected the two parts hang. Chandra got herself comfortable with the metal of her gauntlet that seemed warm to the touch. Something inside of it hummed to life as mana that had been sitting stagnant within began to stir. It was invigorating, to say the least.

"Oooh yeah, definitely needs to be condensed. I feel like I'm weight training here!" Ral gasped once everything was finally arranged as he did small circles in place as he examined how everything looked. "And I feel like I could get hooked on something with this thing, or get it tangled in something!"

"The irony that your complaining about something that the original Ral Zarek built is not lost on me." Chandra chortled. "Maybe this just goes to show you're not as smart as you think you are. Or maybe the trade off of practicality for size and swagger is telling of a... smaller problem."

"If you want a fight Nalaar, you're certainly on the right track." Ral growled. "Why don't we see if you can summon something more than a few embers with that simple looking hunk of metal."

"You really wanna try me, sparky?" Chandra bit back as the two of them began to close the distance between them.

" _Enough_!" Avacyn surprisingly shouted, her exclamation echoing throughout the chamber. "This is the other reason why I called you two here- specifically together! You're going to settle all of this nonsense tonight!"

Avacyn turned to Lavinia, and before Ral and Chandra could comprehend what she had meant, the two of them felt themselves tugged close to one another. Looking down, they came to find they were now chained together by bonds formed by pure, white energy, fashioned to look like a pair of handcuffs connected by a chain that hardly allowed for them to put any space between them.

"H-hey!" Chandra exclaimed, jerking her hand up and forcing Ral to do the same. "What the hell, Avacyn!?"

"Wait, hold on, what are you doing?" Gideon finally spoke up, trying to make his way to Chandra and Ral before Avacyn blocked his path with her arm. "Avacyn, what's going on here?"

"Yeah, what the neanderthal said!" Ral added, to which Chandra responded by giving the chain another swift tug, jerking Ral to the side.

"Says the pig!" She grumbled angrily.

"You two are going to learn to work together and settle your differences, whether to like it or not!" Avacyn snapped. "We cannot have this ridiculous bickering when the maze running happens, and I refuse to have it come up whenever we gather here!"

"What, are you going to force us to stick together like this? Because I can tell you right now that's going to do the opposite of what you want." Chandra complained, jerking the chain once more.

"Do that one more time if you want to know what it feels like to stick a fork into a power outlet!" Ral threatened.

"And then you'll know what it feels like to have your balls melted off!" Chandra shot back.

"You two aren't just going to be forced to remain in each other's presence." Avacyn explained harshly as she held aloft one of her hands. White mana gathered at her finger tips as the space around Chandra and Ral began to warp. "You're going to be forced to keep one another alive."

"Wha-!" Chandra began to gasp before her and Ral vanished completely from the room. Gideon pushed passed Avacyn, running to the place where Ral and Chandra had been standing and looking around frantically.

"Where are they!?" He demanded, looking to Avacyn. "Where did you send them!?"

"They'll be fine so long as they cooperate with one another- not to mention the two of them are armed now." Avacyn attempted to assure him, but it did nothing to calm him as he reached out and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.

"I asked you where you sent them!"

"... The ruins." Avacyn answered with some difficulty.

"Wh- You... I..." Gideon stammered, baffled. "You realize the last time she was there, Chandra nearly died!?"

"She'll be fine, she isn't on her own!" Lavinia chimed in.

"Yeah, she's out there with _Ral Zarek_!" Gideon emphasized. "Excuse me if that actually doesn't make me feel any better!"

"They've forced me to take extreme measures!" Avacyn explained firmly. She glared back at Gideon, hardly seeming sorry for her actions. "We haven't the time to approach things delicately. The maze running is only a few months away, and we need all the time we can get. So we need to snuff out petty problems like this silly dispute between Chandra and Ral as quickly as possible."

"By putting them in mortal danger!?" Gideon exclaimed, throwing his hands above his head. "What kind of 'guardian angel' does that!?"

Gideon was hit by an immediate wave of regret as he watched Avacyn's expression change abruptly from being self assured and stern to looking offended and hurt. Her lips were parted, her mouth hanging open in shock as a strangled noise escaped her.

"I-I mean..." Gideon stammered, attempting to backtrack before Avacyn pushed passed him without another word. "Avacyn, wait!" She refused to heed his word as she vanished around a corner, leaving Gideon and Lavinia alone.

"Gideon, I'm sorry! Avacyn said she was going to send them somewhere, but she never told me where!" Lavinia began to wildly apologize. "If there's anything I can do-"

"There's nothing we _can_ do..." Gideon muttered. "We can only hope that Avacyn thought this through."


	39. It's Just You and Me

"What!?" Chandra shouted, nothing but her voice echoing back as she stumbled where she stood. The dim lights of the library had vanished, and it left her eyes to frantically adjust to the new darkness she suddenly found herself. Ral, still beside her, gasped and lost his balance, nearly falling to his knees before Chandra gave the chains binding them together a sharp tug. The two of them looked around, trying desperately to gain their bearings. At least, from the feel of a cool breeze blowing passed, it could be assumed they were outside... but how?

"Avacyn!?" Ral called out, taking a stumble forward and forcing Chandra to follow. She grunted in distaste, but her confusion far outweighed her desire to act out in frustration. "Lavinia!? Gideon!?"

"Stop shouting! And stop pulling me around!" Chandra grunted as she pulled the chains back, this time successfully managing to send Ral tumbling to the ground. Even though it caused her to have her own arm yanked at and to be forced into a hunch, she grinned victoriously through the ache developing in her arm.

"I swear, when all of this is over, I'm going to give you such a thrashing..." Ral muttered under his breath as he scrambled back to his feet and dusted himself off. "Where are we!? What the hell happened?"

"How should I know!?" Chandra groaned as she looked around. "It doesn't look like we're in the library anymore."

"Ugh... Avacyn must have cast a spell and sent us somewhere else." Ral observed as he, too, began to scan their surroundings. "It's because you just had to get all snippy."

"Oh, it's _my_ fault, is it?" Chandra bit back

"I don't see anyone else here who could be at fault!" Ral chuckled harshly.

"Oh, really? Have you tried looking in a mirror lately?" Chandra snarled, taking a threatening step forward. "You're the one who provoked me! If you had just actually shut your mouth for once-"

"If _you_ had actually shut _your_ mouth for once!" Ral corrected sharply. "I don't think there's been a moment where I've been forced to be in your presence and you weren't running your mouth!"

"Well if you shut your trap maybe I wouldn't need to!" Chandra threw her hands up in grudging surrender, forcing Ral's arm up as well as he grunted in pain.

"Fine!" Ral shouted back as the two of them turned their backs to one another- or at least, as best as they could. Standing in frustrated silence, they had no other choice but to try and figure out where they had been sent. Staring upwards, a clear night sky could be seen, the moon barely peaking above spires and jagged shapes jutting up from the darkness that surrounded them. And, even through the chill of night, they could feel something warm- something inviting and familiar in the darkness.

"This... this couldn't be..." Ral muttered.

"It is." Chandra nodded. "Looks like our dear friend Avacyn sent us to the ruins."

"Wh- no! This... oh my gods, this can't be happening!" Ral gasped, running a hand nervously through his hair.

"I guess this is the part where I welcome you home, right?" Chandra chuckled sarcastically.

"No, you idiot! Don't you understand, we're not supposed to be here! If someone finds us we could- no, we _will_ be expelled! Or even worse!" Ral cried. "My academic carrier... my whole life is at stake because that asshole of an angel decided it would be funny to toss us here!"

"Don't worry, no one patrols the ruins or anything." Chandra rolled her eyes. "No one is going to find us, so take a chill pill- or several."

"And how do you-" Ral began to ask before catching a knowing look in her eyes as she cocked an eyebrow at him, a hand on her hip. "You... you've trespassed here before!?"

"Yeah. It wasn't even that hard." Chandra boasted. "Consider me your guide while on a trip through yester-century."

"A nuisance and a delinquent is what I'll consider you..." Ral grumbled under his breath as he started to head off in one direction before Chandra pulled him back.

"An electric current running through your _entire body_! Do you _want_ to know what that feels like!?" He snapped as he turned to face her.

"You're not the one whose been here before. If we're going to be going anywhere, I think I'm the one who should be the leader." Chandra huffed. A guttural noise vibrated in Ral's throat as he pressed his hand to his face and slowly dragged it over his features

"Forgive me if I'm not keen on the idea of you taking the lead down a brightly lit hallway, let alone a dangerous, dilapidated city at night." Ral muttered.

"And I trust you like a crazed, rabid goblin." Chandra rolled her eyes as she took the lead herself. "Trust me, I know where I'm going."

"Riiight, let's follow the pyromancer who is prone to _violent mood swings_ into the darkness. Sounds like a rock-solid plan." Ral sassed. "How Gideon deals with you I'll never know. I'm honestly surprised you haven't _driven him off_ by now, what with your stellar attitude and amazing personality."

"Shut up..." Chandra growled in a low tone of voice, balling her fists.

"I honestly don't believe someone hasn't tried to put you in your place yet-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Chandra bellowed as she lunged at him, knocking him backwards. Ral cried out in surprise, trying to catch himself at the two of them fell, but instead of finding the ground he had expected to hit on his way down, he came to find they had been standing precariously beside a ditch, and Chandra had just sent the both of them plummeting down it. Rolling over one another, legs flailing and hands attempting to grasp at anything to stop their wild tumble, they managed to kick up an impressive amount of dirt and nothing else.

Coming to rest at the bottom, sore and panting, Chandra was the first to stand. Somewhere during he fall, she had lost her beanie, and had managed to rip an impressive hole in the knee of one of her pants, revealing a scrape that had already begun to bleed. She cursed under her breath, pressing one hand to her knee and searching around for her beanie with the other before Ral groaning in agony dragged all of her attention back to him. Before he could even begin to sit up, hand clutching his head, Chandra had stumbled on top of him and forced him back down to the ground.

"Do you even think about what you're about to say before you even say it!?" She shouted, shaking him furiously. "You're an insensitive little troll who thinks, just because you're smarter than everyone, that makes you better! Well guess what, it doesn't! You're no better!"

"Shit, Chandra, stop!" Ral croaked. "Get off me, I can't breath!"

"Someone should have put me in my place- is that what you really think!?" Chandra continued, not even bothering to heed to anything Ral managed to say.

"Chandra, please-!" Ral gasped.

"Well, _is it_!?" Chandra practically screamed as she tightly grasped his shoulders.

"Jeeze, calm down, I just said it on the fly! Why are you so hung up on that!?" Ral shot back, struggling to sit up and only making it about half way. 

"Because I was-!" Chandra began to shout before her voice withered and died and she drew away. Ral groaned as he sat up, coming to find Chanda sitting beside him, curled forward and hiding her face in one of her hands. It didn't take long, as silence finally began to flow over the two of them, before he came to realize she was quietly sobbing. Ral's mouth hung open in surprise despite himself, trying to piece together exactly what was going on and coming up empty handed.

"Hey, look, I'm sor-" Ral began to say, reaching out before Chandra slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" She cried, before muttering into he palm, "I knew I shouldn't have come out tonight..."

Ral heaved a sigh as he shifted, making himself comfortable beside her before looking up at the sky he could see from the ravine they seemed to have fallen into. He opened and closed his mouth several times, peering over at Chandra who was still crying. Struggling with words he could possibly say he smoothed his hair back and turned his eyes back skyward.

"...Avacyn sent us here for a reason. I didn't think there was that big a problem but... it looks like there's a lot of stuff I'm not getting." He muttered. "Maybe we do have a problem here..."

"You think...?" Chandra mumbled, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes and nose with the back of her hand. "What was your first clue?"

"I'm trying to be serious here, so I'd appreciate if you weren't snarky or sarcastic for a minute." Ral sighed. "There's something I'm not getting here... Maybe if you told me I-" He shook his head in frustration. "Look, I'm not that good with all this... friendly, nice stuff, so just... tell me what your problem is, already!"

"My _problem_ is that you just say whatever hurtful thing comes to mind without thinking first!" Chandra shot back at first, glaring up at him before turning her gaze back down to the ground. "...But... more than that, my problem has nothing to do with you... or with any of you."

"...And what is that, exactly?" Ral asked cautiously. Yet another silence fell between them as Chandra drew up her legs and buried her face in her knees. "... That is, unless you don't want to talk about it."

"I was _raped_ , alright!?" Chandra burst out suddenly, causing Ral to jump a bit. He looked back at her, wide eyed and mouth agape as he visibly struggled with things to say. Chandra, who had straightened up tensely, drew back and ran her hand over the prickly stubble along her scalp. "Excuse me, if it's a little hard for me to just up and talk to people about..."

"I... You... _When?_ " Ral managed to utter.

"It was the night of the winter dance. Why it even happened is a long, complicated mess of a story for a different time, trust me, it's not exactly my story to go into. All you need to know is that it happened... I'm trying to cope, but I have my bad days and you, mister 'someone needs to put you in your place' haven't exactly been helping. I've been there, I've done that..." Chandra muttered as she shook her head.

"I... I'm sorry..." Was all that Ral could think to say as he rubbed the back of his neck. "...It must have been awful."

"Of course it was, moron..." Chandra sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I couldn't do anything to stop them... you never really think about it, or figure you'll be able to fight them off or cry for help but... in reality you're left totally helpless. Your words run dry and your strength just bleeds from you and all you have is fear and pain and..." She stopped herself, looking like she was about to be sick.

"It's okay, you don't have to go on. I get it." Ral assured her.

"And to add insult to injury, they did this." Chandra chuckled darkly as she passed her hand over her head and letting it rest on the back of her neck. "I'm honestly surprised you never once made a comment about my being practically bald. I mean, you pretty much hit on everything else."

"Back when she recruited us, Liliana made it really, _really_ clear not to mention it to you, to be honest." Ral admitted. "I always had figured it was the result of a haircut gone wrong, or maybe you set it on fire and she didn't want us to embarrass you."

"Hah, I wish. But it's nice, knowing Lili was looking out for me from the sidelines..." Chandra laughed lightly before turning back to Ral.

"What about you?"

"W-What _about_ me?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"You got me to bear _my_ soul, so now it's your turn." She explained, reaching out and pressing a single finger against the tip of his nose.

"I don't really know, there's really not much for me to tell..." Ral muttered, averting his eyes and pulling back a bit.

"I'm not asking for some tragic life story or anything, jeeze." Chandra rolled her eyes. "All I want to know is why you're even helping us. You were never close friends with anyone in the group and, as far as I see it, you really have more to lose than to gain from joining our resistance. So what the hell are you even helping a bunch of people who you think are below you for?"

"It's... complicated." Ral stammered as her nervously shuffled where he sat.

"Buddy, I'm the queen of complicated." Chandra rolled her eyes. "Nothing you can tell me at this point will shock me, and you have my word as a girl who has seen her own death."

"Ugh, don't remind me..." Ral shuddered.

"So go on, spill. What does mister high-and-mighty, 'everyone is dumber than me' have to gain from helping us? Unless you're out to avenge Niv Mizzet or something, which would make sense, but that's so incredibly boring..." Chandra rattled on. "And if that were the case you would have told us a long time ago in some sort of grand, sweeping speech. But nope, not even a peep. You're just here, figuring we'll be too thankful for the help to bother to ask."

"It's... It's nothing. It's something stupid, its..." Ral paused, taking a deep breath before hanging his head. "Private."

"Oh please, and you don't think my having been sexually assaulted wasn't private?" Chandra groaned. "What could it possibly be? What could be so incredibly secret, you won't even tell me after I cried in front of you."

"I'm sorry it's just... embarrassing! I couldn't possibly even begin to..." Ral muttered.

"Dear gods, man, stop beating around the damned bush already!" Chandra said, rolling her eyes. "Like... What? Do you have, I don't know, a crush on Jace or something?" She chuckled jokingly to herself before tuning to Ral who had grown... suspiciously quiet. He stared down at the ground, unblinking, and even though it was too dark to see him blushing Chandra could practically feel the heat radiating off of him.

"Oh... oh my gods, did... did I just hit the gay nail on the head!?" Chandra laughed.

"Shut up, alright! You're so annoying!" Ral shot back, but it did nothing to deter Chandra who continued to laugh as she reached out and slapped him on the back.

"Gods, that's rich! I never would have guessed!" She chuckled. "Ral Zarek, having an unrequited crush- and on Jace, of all people! Take it from someone who tried pursuing that, you haven't got a prayer if you think this little act of valor is going to give you a spot in the running."

"You don't think I know that?" Ral groaned. "I'm not blind, Chandra. I know more than well enough that Jace and Liliana are a... _thing_. I know my feelings aren't ever going to get returned. I just... I don't know, I just want him to know I care, and..." Ral turned to Chandra who looked like she was struggling to keep from laughing- small snorts and chortles escaping her as she shook from containing the potential laughter. He narrowed his eyes. "...You just think this is all just a barrel of laughs, don't you?"

"I'm sorry! It's just... this is just so surreal! I can't help it!" Chandra howled. "Oh gods, pinch me, am I dreaming!?"

"Glad to know you find my personal feelings so amusing." Ral grumbled through clenched teeth.

"This is just _too_ perfect! Ral loves Jace!" Chandra began to sing-song. "Ral loves Jace! Ral loves Jace!"

"Gods, will you please shut up!?"

"What's that, lover boy, I can't hear you!" Chandra continued to jeer.

"No, no seriously shut up! Did you hear that?" Ral asked, but Chandra continued on, not even hearing Ral's words, much less heeding them.

"Ral and Jace, sitting in a tree!" She giggled. "K-I-S-S-I-N-!"

Before she could finish, a large figure fell from above and landed in front of them with a thunderous boom, kicking up rocks and dirt. It emitted a high-pitched hissing noise, dozens of red eyes that glowed in the darkness fixed on them hungrily. As the dust settled, they could make out eight long, thin, hairy legs jutting out from it's large, bulbous body, tapping against the earth as it drew closer. Both Ral and Chandra were dead quiet, but the silence only lasted a short-lived second.

"SPIDER!" Chandra shrieked before bolting away in a random direction- all attempts to try and make it back up to where they had originally been totally useless. Ral, with a pained grunt, was dragged along behind her, barely keeping up with her stride. The monstrous arachnid hissed in anger as it's potential meal booked it away and began to skitter after them.

"Chandra stop!" Ral commanded, looking back to see the spider easily gaining.

"Oh like hell I am!" Chandra cried.

"But we can fight it!" Ral offered, sounding absolutely aghast that Chandra wouldn't even consider such a thing.

"You know, for a guy who prides himself on being really smart, you've got some really dumb idea- WHOA!" Chandra began to shout before she tripped over one of Ral's feet and fell forward, taking Ral down with her. The two of them tumbled an impressive distance, limbs tangled around one another as they skid to a halt. And, at first, all they could do was lie around and groan in pain from their heads knocking together and their bodies hitting the unforgiving ground after running at full speed.

"Shit!" Chandra gasped once she realized the gigantic nightmare come to life before her very eyes was closing in on them, and attempted to jerk Ral back up again. However this time, he resisted, hissing in pain and rejecting being moved. "Come on, asshole! Get up, or else that thing is going to suck out our guts and use us as decorations in it's web!"

"My ankle..." Ral moaned in pain. "It hurts... I think I sprained it!"

"Come on you big baby! It's just an ankle!" Chandra shouted, grabbing him under the arms and attempting to lift him.

"Here, let me sprain yours, and then you can tell me it's 'just an ankle'!" Ral shot back before the shadow of their eight-legged predator loomed over them. Chandra froze up in fear, stall holding Ral half-up. Fear washing over her, she could hardly breath, much less move. The spider hissed again, and all Chandra could do was squeak back in response.

"Oh please, I've got this..." Ral muttered as he used Chandra as a crutch to prop himself up. "A little lightening bolt and this thing will go crawling back to whatever circle of hell it came from." He held aloft his hand, channeling mana and making use of the gauntlet he had been given back at the library. He could feel power rushing through him as something in the back portion began to whir to life. Each mechanism began to glow from the inside, buzzing to life and generating enough power to call down what Ral felt was probably an entire storm. "Creepy-crawly here is in for a real shock!"

However, just as things were coming to some sort of climax, the part of the device that he had situated at his hip sparked violently and made pathetic sputtering noises. Shortly after, a pop came from the back portion as the entire mechanism shuddered. Ral looked over his shoulder, crestfallen, just in time to watch smoke rise out of the generator on his back, the power he felt draining and vanishing into the air around them.

"Shit! I must have damaged it when we fell down here!" He gasped as he turned to Chandra and grabbed her by the shoulders. She gasped and jumped slightly, her attention split between Ral and the spider. "Quick, you need to roast that thing!"

"What- can't you just shock it!?" Chandra asked frantically. "Just because your gauntlet is busted-"

"I can't do anything unless I'm physically touching it! And like hell I'm letting that thing close enough to where I can touch it!" Ral explained. "Why are you even arguing about this, you burned down an entire greenhouse! Frying this thing golden brown should be easy!"

"I-I don't have full control over my powers, okay!?" Chandra admitted. "And that was only one time! At my best I can only summon enough fire to light candles and melt stuff!"

"That would have been a nice little tid-bit to share with the class a while ago!" Ral roared. "Come on, just focus! You're a pyromancer! Fire is supposed to be your specialty!"

"I...I..." Chandra mumbled, her brow furrowing as she halfheartedly raised her hand that wore the gauntlet. She appeared to be holding her breath before she let out a gasp and shook her head. "I can't! We need to just keep running!"

"Not with my busted ankle we're not! If we run, we're spider food, guarantied!" Ral said urgently as he grasped one of her shoulders. "Just... just pretend it's one of those guys who hurt you!"

" _What_!?" Chandra shrieked.

"Pyromancy is drawn largely from emotions! It's the only way!" Ral groaned. "Just remember how helpless you felt then, how you couldn't do anything! Aren't you mad about what they did to you!? Don't you want to see them burn!?"

"I-I guess but-"

"Than use that!" Ral cut her off. "You couldn't do anything then, but you can do something now! And I mean _now_ , or else legs here is going to make a meal out of us!"

Chandra looked up at the hideous creature that was poised and ready to strike the both of them. Eyes brimming with tears, she recalled looking up at her assailants as they pinned her down. She spider hissed once again, and she could hear their laughter. She could feel their hands grasping at her, holding her down, choking her, silencing her. She wanted them off- she wanted them gone. Even after it was all said and done they still haunted her and she wanted them _out_!

" _Sorry about this, little girl, It's just... Business."_

Chandra let out a roar, her hand glowing red, as well as the centerpiece of her gauntlet. Smoke rose up from it, the smell of something burning filling the air. She felt her body grow warm, then immediately hot. It was probably the first time in her life she felt a burn that legitimately phased her. The spider, taken aback a bit, skittered back cautiously while continuing to hiss and gurgle.

" _Had you tangled with different people, maybe it wouldn't come to this."_

With one, final, almost primal shout, a mighty fire bloomed from Chandra's palm, the crimson and bright orange flames consuming her entire arm as the blaze blasted forth. The grand inferno consumed the front half of the spider, which shrieked in surprise and agony as it wildly flailed backward. Kicking up dust and flailing about, the flames were soon extinguished, not quite killing the beast. However, a line of dominance had clearly been drawn, and with a terrified wail, the tiny hairs that covered it's body still alight, the terrifying creature retreated. Chandra watched the thing leave, vanishing up the slope, before she fell to her knees. The fire she had summoned slowly died, leaving her jacket totally destroyed to the shoulder, but her arm- as well as the gauntlet- was untouched.

"...I did it..." She muttered, looking down at her hand.

"...You sure did." Ral spoke in agreement, sitting beside her, looking in the direction the spider had fled in shock.

"...I did it!" Chandra repeated, a little louder now, a small smile starting to grow on her lips. "I did it! I actually did it!" In her joy she reached out and threw her arms around Ral, holding him tightly as she swayed back and forth joyously. "I did it! I did it, I-!" The two of them looked to one another, finally realizing just how close they had become and immediately drew away. Chandra cleared her throat nervously and Ral rubbed his arm in the same fashion. The two of them, once again, sat in silence, a chuckle or two coming from the both of them as they searched for something meaningful to say.

"Thank you, Ral." Chandra finally spoke up.

"For what? All I did was spark, smoke and twist my ankle. You're the one who saved us." Ral insisted.

"You helped me draw that out. If you hadn't been here I definitely would have been spider chow. So thanks... for the pep-talk I guess." Chandra smiled.

"Hey, anything to keep from getting eaten." Ral chuckled as the two of them looked up at the night sky.

"...So... What now?" Chandra inquired.

"I guess we find our way out." Ral sighed. "If Avacyn had prepared a way to get us back to the library upon making nice with one another, we wouldn't have had to endure all of that. I guess we're on our own."

"Think we can get back up there?" Chandra asked, motioning to the top of the ravine.

"Maybe, if I wasn't crippled." Ral sighed. "Maybe if we just keep walking along down here we'll find something."

"Or something will find us." Chandra added. Offering him a hand as she stood to her feet.

"Ugh, let's hope not." Ral shook his head as he took her hand and allowed himself to be yanked up back onto his feet. "Between Niv Mizzet and tonight, I've had my share of huge monsters threatening to eat me enough to last a lifetime."

The two of them slowly made their way along the crevice that stretched below the dilapidated city. It wound between buildings and under bridges, and seemed to become deeper and deeper instead of having them rise to the surface like they had hoped. The path branched out, forcing them to chose random routes, and sometimes they were forced to double back and return to where they had come from, but it hardly seemed they were getting closer to the surface.

"Remind me, next time we see Avacyn, to give her a good punch in the arm." Chandra groaned as they continued their trek.

"Not if I beat you to it." Ral agreed, turning his head skyward. "You see that, Avacyn! We're bonding!"

"Oh, shit!" Chandra sighed as they turned the corner. Up until that point, a lot of paths had led them to or tempted them to enter through caves, and not knowing what was possibly inside of them was their main reason for avoiding them. And once more, they had come across another one- the mouth of the cave a lot wider and grander than the rest, supported by what looked like columns at one point before they started to disintegrate.

"Wow..." Ral said in awe, having to tilt his head back to take in the entirety of the entrance before them. "... Are we going to have to go back again?"

"No! I'm not going all the way back again! If we keep avoiding these, we're going to be stuck here all night!" Chandra complained, stamping her foot. "We're going on ahead. At the very least, this one looks the least foreboding."

"Still just as dark and dangerous, though, probably." Ral brought up.

"Mmmn..." Chandra sighed, holding her held aloft and shutting her eyes. Furrowing her brow and biting her lip, she conjured a flame big enough to light their way, and turned to Ral victoriously, silently bragging.

"Still dangerous, though." Ral muttered.

"There is just no pleasing you, is there." Chandra sighed sarcastically. "Come on, there's only one way to find out."

Much to Ral's surprise, at least, the cave was spacious and open, for the most part. The same half-eroded columns lined the walls, some of them having long since fallen over, blocking their path slightly. It seemed like the grand entrance to somewhere more than a random cave that had been formed. There were no other paths that branched off, or obstacles that posed any harm, but the most curious thing about the cave was the mysterious pull that seemed to tug at them the deeper they went. It was as if someone familiar, who they had known for years, was calling to them, beckoning them to venture even deeper into the cave.

"What... is this place?" Ral asked, looking around for the source and only finding blank walls and columns that were in better and better condition the deeper into the cave the went. "I feel like... I don't know, this place feels familiar even though I've never been here before."

"It feels..." Chandra paused, slowly making a connection. "Sad."

"Sad?" Ral raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, double time!" Chandra spoke up as she picked up the pace despite Ral's protests. The pull felt familiar, and almost tempting, but it filled her chest with an overwhelming feeling of sadness- The same sort of sadness she felt after every nightmare that showed her tragic windows to her past- the same sort of sadness she felt looking out over the ruins of the city Chandra Nalaar had fought and died to protect. Whatever was calling to them from the darkness, it was connected to their past somehow.

Soon after, the cave opened up even wider to reveal a chamber, no other doors or paths leading further into the cave. And, upon the farthest wall, was a grand etching on smoothed out rock, two stone statues that were half-destroyed still standing guard obediently- one without a head and one almost without a body entirely. Stranger still was what was on the wall itself, and the close they got, the more apparent the things carved into the rock became.

"Are... are those...?" Chandra questioned.

"The guild symbols." Ral nodded. "All ten of them, exactly as they were, and exactly as they are now."

"There's something beyond this wall, I can feel it." Chandra muttered as they drew close enough to the wall to touch it- which Chandra did. Her ears rang as she ran her hands along the stone, and her heart raced. For a brief moment she felt something, a flash of a place she had been to before, a place connecting their world to all others. She gasped, pulling her hand away.

"Ral... this is..." She said, feeling suddenly out of breath.

"The Forum of Azor: the end of the Implicit Maze." A third voice chuckled. Both Chandra and Ral turned around to find they had been joined by a nicely-dressed older gentleman with slicked-back black hair and a finely groomed goatee. He looked back at them like a predator about to pounce, but he held himself like royalty. "And the place where Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, chose to lock everything away."

"U-Um..." Chandra began, her voice cracking before she cleared her throat. She didn't much at all like the aura the man gave off. It made her feel unwell, and unsafe, but still she stood her ground. "Who are you!?"

"Chandra..." Ral muttered, pulling on her arm in a sad attempt to silence her.

"Oh, right, that's correct, you and I have never met, Miss Nalaar, though there's no doubt you've heard of me." The man laughed. "My name is Nicol Bolas."

"W-What!?" Chandra gasped. "You... You're..." She gulped before preparing herself to fight, her hand holding their light shaking wildly despite her determination.

"Yes, well, I come here from time to time, you see. It's like visiting an old friend- reminding me of what I had _stolen_ from me thousands of years ago." He went on to explain, hardly seeming threatened at all by Chandra's flame. "You can feel it, too, can't you? The Blind Eternities calling to you from just beyond that seal? It's a very tempting thing, so I've gotten very attached to coming here. That power just beyond there will be mine very soon, so it helps that I get acquainted with it. But now, it seems I've been interrupted by a nosy little mouse and a meddlesome traitor." He turned his attention to Ral, whose knees buckled slightly. "And I very much hate being interrupted."

A single step towards them and Chandra immediately became overwhelmed. She could feel his malicious aura all around them, tightening around them like a fist. Overcome by hopelessness, the flame she had summoned died, becoming nothing but harmless embers drifting to the ground. It became hard to move- near impossible to breath, even. Every instinct begged for her to run, but there was nowhere to run to, and she knew it.

"Please..." She begged hoarsely. "...No."

"Do speak up a bit louder, would you." Bolas requested, his voice a menacing hiss that sliced through the air. "I love it when I hear my victims beg."

"Stay away from them!" Yet another voice rang around the chamber, and Chandra looked up just in time to see a figure descend from above and land before them gracefully, a cloud of feathers obscuring her vision of Bolas completely.

"Avacyn!" She half-gasped, half-sighed in relief.

"Oh, Avacyn, how kind of you to join us. I was just in the middle of tormenting some of your loyal followers." Bolas sneered. Avacyn glared back at him, bared teeth showing through her frown as she held her hand out.

"You won't lay a single hand on them!" She shouted as a bright light filled the darkness around them. The brightness warped and dissipated, forming into a long, white spear that Avacyn gripped in her hand. It was easily taller than her, but she held it easily, as if it were light as a feather, and pointed the forked tip at Bolas who stood his ground and raised his eyebrows like he was egging her on to continue.

"Is this yet another decree from your miserable father?" He asked. "Another one of his pointless 'rules' he wants me to follow?"

"This is a decree from me! If you attempt to hurt them, gods help me I will ram this spear through your heart!" Avacyn shouted strongly, taking a large step forward. "And they aren't my 'loyal followers'..." She paused to look back at Ral and Chandra, eyes full of warmth. "...They're my friends."

"Is that so? Well, may I suggest you keep a closer eye on your 'friends'. Next time I won't be so prone to mercy." Bolas laughed, turning his back on Avacyn and her spear. "Consider yourselves lucky I'm in no mood to fight today."

"Bolas..." Avacyn growled.

"Now, now, don't be so hasty." He chuckled, looking over his shoulder. "You and your spear will get your chance to try and vanquish me soon enough. Although... I have very little doubt it will be the last chance you ever get to take."

With those words and a halfhearted wave goodbye, Bolas walked back into the darkness of the cave, vanishing completely in the darkness. Long after he had gone, Avacyn still brandished her spear, silently staring in the direction the elderdragon had left.

"Avacyn... hey, earth to Avacyn!" Ral finally called after a significant amount of silence.

"I'm sorry." Avacyn answered abruptly, speaking up before Ral finished his sentence. "It was in my rashness that I sent you here, and I wound up putting the both of you in horrible danger. I'm... I'm sorry."

"It was a pretty scatter-brained thing to do, sending us to the ruins of all- OW!" Ral began to say before Chandra stamped on his foot. He opened his mouth to protest but Chandra gave him a warning glare, a finger pressed against her lips.

"Some guardian angel I am, huh? Even the things I think are best put my friends in danger..." Avacyn sighed, shaking her head as she allowed her spear to vanish from her hand and into the air. She turned to face them, a forced smile on her lips that visibly quivered. "It was... pretty stupid of me wasn't it?"

"We all make mistakes, Avacyn. Just because your who you are doesn't make us expect you to be perfect." Chandra assured her.

"But I..." Avacyn protested, hanging her head as he fake smile faded. She looked down at the hand she had held her spear in, clenching and unclenching her fingers."I'm... supposed to be. It's supposed to be in my nature- if not for this plane, than for my friends, at least. And I can't even do that."

"And we aren't expecting you to!" Chandra sighed, approaching Avacyn and dragging Ral along behind her. She reached out with her free hand and rested it on Avacyn's head, ruffling her soft, white hair. "You're going to screw up. You're going to make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes are going to be really big. But that's okay, because you're no guardian angel among us. You're our friend, Avacyn, and that's all you need to be." Avacyn looked back at Chandra, who grinned at her warmly. "And between you and me, I think you're doing a perfect job with that."

Avacyn stared back at her, wide-eyed, before her eyes began to glisten with tears. They brimmed at the edges, pooling around the bottom of her eyes before pouring over and down her cheeks. Chandra gasped, taken aback by Avacyn's reaction as she looked to Ral quickly for assistance. All he could do was shrug, just as surprised by her tears as Chandra was.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!" Chandra began to frantically apologize before Avacyn reached out and wrapped her arms around her, locking Chandra in a deep, tight embrace. She rested her head on her shoulder, sniffling and choking back sobs. Again, Chandra looked over to Ral, and again all he could to was offer up a shrug- but at the very least, after he threw his hands up uselessly, he mimed that Chandra should rub her back before shrugging again. She rolled her eyes, but did just that, gently running her hand along Avacyn's back below her wings.

"Thank you..." Avacyn sobbed as she pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "I... I really needed that. So many people have been telling me lately I shouldn't try to push myself to be what I'm not. But all this time I... I never knew what I was really supposed to be. All this time I've lived the life of another person- a person who I thought I was supposed to be. It's been so long, I never figured I was my own person... it's a hard thing to unlearn."

"H-hey, it's nothing." Chandra smiled, patting Avacyn on the back. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yes..." Avacyn softly spoke, looking down at the ground, but with a smile on her face. "...Friends."

* * *

"There, you're both officially free from one another." Lavinia sighed as she lifted the spell, the chains that had bound Chandra and Ral together vanishing with a small shimmer of light. Both of them pulled their hands away and rubbed at their wrists. Ral heaved a sigh of relief and Chandra chuckled victoriously, like she alone had been the one to free them.

"I'm really gonna miss having someone to jerk around all the time." She joked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you have your boyfriend for that if you really want." Ral chuckled before Chandra's aforementioned boyfriend came running into the meeting area of the library, rushing over to Chandra and stopping himself right before he scooped her up into a bear hug. It looked incredibly strange, even to Chandra- who snorted- having Gideon's arms encircling her, but not actually holding her.

"M-May I?" He asked nervously, realizing he could have stopped himself sooner before he found himself holding a ridiculous pose.

"Hug away, lover boy." Chandra chortled, rolling her eyes before he scooped her up into an embrace that lifted her clean off of the ground."I said hug! _Hug_! Not attempt to snap my spine in half!"

"Sorry, sorry I was just really worried!" Gideon apologized, setting her down gently, as if she were made of glass. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"From the hug, or being sent to the ruins?" Chandra smirked. Gideon looked back at her desperately, unsure if he should apologize or specify. "I'm fine, I just scratched up my knee a little and ruined a perfectly good pair of pants. Now, Ral, on the other hand..." She looked over her shoulder, watching as Ral limped over to one of the chairs, hissing in pain with every step.

"You know, there's this thing called asking for help." She called after him.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Ral assured her, waving his hand dismissively before flinching in pain once more. Chandra huffed, hands on her hips before she strode over to him and forced him to lean on her.

"I'll go get a first aid kit." Lavinia chuckled before rushing off, Avacyn following close behind her, leaving the three of them in the meeting area alone.

"You know, you really don't have to-" Ral began to protest.

"Yeah, I know, but what are friends for, right?" Chandra laughed before depositing him into a chair.

"Well look at the two of you." Gideon remarked, sounding and looking exceptionally proud of them. "What sort of miracle happened in the ruins?"

Chandra and Ral looked to one another, exchanging knowing glances, before turning back to Gideon.

"It's... Private." Chandra grinned.


	40. A Day in the Life

Spring had finally begun to return to the Ravnica Academy campus. From out of her large living room window, Lavinia could see the greenery that had begun to return across the lawn she could see: trees starting to blossom, scattering their petals into the air and onto the ground and a sense of livelihood that had kept itself hidden during the long, cold winter months. The bright sunlight washed over her, brightening her already lucent room and warming her skin. But inside, she couldn't bring herself to feel the same way, and her feelings hardly matched the pleasant weather conditions outside. There were more than enough things gnawing at her thoughts and weighing on her shoulders to make her glare back at the almost perfect view outside her window.

The guilds of Ravnica Academy had been overthrown completely, each and every one of them under the guard of a new guild leader. Many of the other guild leaders were met with the same fate as Emmara and Azorius' own Isperia had and, according to Sorin, they had lost all contact with the members of Obzedat and Orzhov had made the decision to nominate someone else to lead them in their absence. And it wasn't the changing of the guard that was the problem- it was who had been chosen in their place. Two night class members had already taken seats as heads of both Selesnya and Rakdos, but now even more of them had somehow found their way into power- some of them not even belonging to the guild system at all.

Golgari had turned to Vraska, a gorgon student who had narrowly avoided jail time for petrifying some of her fellow students. Dimir was now led by Ashiok, a mysterious student who had enrolled in the night class by choice, and hardly interacted with anyone at all, let alone the guilds. A lot of students had begun to joke about how this was fitting for the guild people hardly believed even existed aside from on paper. Orzhov had chosen Teysa Karlov as their new guildleader, a student who had used her wealth and power to blackmail and torment students, a few of whom had taken their own lives (some rumors had even been brazen enough to claim it had been at Teysa's behest). Strangest of them all had been the choice of Gruul who had chosen to elect Tibalt to lead them, a student who hadn't been aligned with them in the slightest and had been known to use their guild as fodder for cheep laughs in his various articles. None of the choices seemed right. The guilds no longer had the balance they once had- they had been established to keep order, but now they seemed to be nothing but harbingers for chaos.

The maze running was drawing ever closer, and even though their training was going well, it felt to Lavinia that they needed more time, and it was time that they didn't have. The odds, one-by-one had been stacked against them until it seemed as if they were faced with a mountain instead of a hole on the ground. Lavinia herself had practiced her defensive magics and swordplay sometimes almost through the night, and even then she felt as if they were being set up to fight a losing battle. Even still, she was forced to keep her head up and act confident around her comrades. Everyone else seemed confident at that point, and she refused to let her painfully logical side drag the rest of them down.

On a more personal level, there was the letter that sat, now crumpled up into a tight little ball, on her coffee table. But even that wouldn't keep what the message had said from playing over and over again in her memory. "We regret to inform you we are unable to offer you a place..." "This year's applicant pool was the strongest in the university's history..." "We were unable to offer admission to every worthy student..." "We recognize this message may come as a disappointment to you..." Disappointment. The word burned Lavinia's tongue without even having to speak it. It was on her breath, bringing her blood to a boil and twisting her stomach- full of the breakfast she had only half-eaten and coffee that had been made much too strong for her liking- into knots. The words from the letter circled her like a bunch of hungry vultures waiting for her to die so they could prey on her corpse.

Despite her parent's and her adviser's wishes, Lavinia had been attempting to enroll in a college not affiliated with the academy. Although continuing to attend a school with a positive environment for mages had been recommended to her time and again, the idea of just being handed an acceptance into a university didn't sit well with her. She wanted her transfer from high school into college to be earned, so she instead had applied to other universities, hoping that her good grades and extracurricular activities would be enough to make them overlook her background. But it was all starting to become a lost cause, and the rejection letter she had angrily balled up hadn't been her first. At least this one had been polite, though. A few had felt the need to hint at the fact she had been denied acceptance due to being a mage. Lavinia had grown up in a family of mages and had attended the academy since she was a very young girl. The cruel, prejudiced sting of the outside world had hardly been something she had been exposed to until then.

The cherry on top of all her troubles, in the end, was something that had transpired the night before, shortly before she left the library. Lavinia wrinkled her nose at the thought, shutting her eyes tightly as she tried to force the memory out of her.

It had been just her and Avacyn at the time- everyone else had turned in for the night. Gideon and Tajic had a big game the next day, Ral had guild business early in the morning, Nissa had things she decided not to share with the rest of them to do and Chandra was getting too cranky to focus. Lavinia had been watching Avacyn extra closely that day, unable to turn her attention fully to her studies for school on one side of her and studies for magic on the other. These were feelings that had been small and easy to ignore at first, but with every passing night she opened her home to Avacyn and every morning she arose to find the angel either making breakfast or greeting the sun by the living room window or coming out of the bathroom fresh from that morning's shower, the feelings in her heart became harder and harder to ignore. And, in that early-morning hour, Lavinia had figured the best way to regain her focus was to tell Avacyn how she felt.

She had never been so wrong.

"I'm sorry..." She could remember Avacyn finally muttering after a long, drawn out silence and a shocked stare that was just enough to make her uncomfortable. "I can't accept your feelings, especially not in the situation we're in. I can't allow myself to be distracted by other matters..." Avacyn had turned away, suddenly very interested in the books that lined the shelves.

"And you must also agree that... a relationship between a human and an immortal being is doomed to fail. I refuse to expose you to that..."

Her rejection stung more than the countless letters she had received and weighed on her more than the maze running. It dragged her down until she felt as if she would be crushed she was so deep.

In the end, Avacyn had chosen to remain in the library overnight instead of returning home with her, and for the first time since Lavinia had moved into the apartment, the place felt empty as she walked out into the living room- no sounds of running water coming from the bathroom or noises of someone making food in the kitchen, no other presence to greet her as she awoke, dreary and bleary-eyed- nothing. She was alone with her thoughts, her worries, her troubles, poorly brewed coffee and burned scrambled eggs. And that was what bothered her the most.

Only one thing would sooth her- even for a little while- she figured. She looked to the old violin she had brought out with her from her room and carefully picked it up. She had turned down the chance to be apart of the school orchestra, her duties as a high-ranking member of Azorius and other after-school activities not leaving room for very much else, but playing the violin had been a hobby of hers for a very long time. She felt playing it to calm her, which was exactly what she needed then. Resting the delicate instrument on her shoulder and her jaw against the chin rest, she recalled a song from memory- a melody she had made herself infused with magic to put her at ease when she played it. It was all she had.

" _We regret to inform you we were unable to offer you a place..."_

The strings of the violin shrieked in disapproval as Lavinia misplayed. Furrowing her brow, however, she played on, a little more forcefully this time. The tune that was usually quiet and soothing was played loudly as she attempted to drown out her own thoughts.

" _I can't accept your feelings, especially not in the situation we're in. I can't allow myself to be distracted by other matters..."_

Another mistake as the melody was interrupted by another shrill screech. Lavinia played on, the song undeterred by her slip-ups but her annoyance showed on her face. With every sharp note or slip of her bow, her expression grew more and more sour, and her mistakes were growing in number and closer together. Soon the song was hardly a melody at all, just a bunch of squeaks and sharp notes to a beat punctuated by grunts and groans from Lavinia who played on despite the chaos.

" _And you must also agree that... a relationship between a human and an immortal being is doomed to fail. I refuse to expose you to that..."_

With a powerful yell, Lavinia stopped playing all together, tossed her bow to one side and her violin to another- it's path leading it to collide with her lukewarm cup of coffee she had resting on the table. The dark-brown liquid spilled forth onto the table and over the edge as the cup was knocked to the floor and shattered. The violin, as well, suffered in Lavinia's outburst. The wood of the neck splintered and snapped, strings flying lose as the main potion of the instrument cracked and chipped. Lavinia panted angrily, her hair falling in her face as tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as she looked at the mess she had made. Her outburst had done nothing to sate her frustration- if anything, it had made it all the more worse.

The sound of someone knocking at her door broke her from her thoughts. Her head snapped up as she looked to the entryway, contemplating over weather or not to just let whoever it was knock until they got fed up and left. If it was anyone important, they'd come find her later, and if it was a package, they could leave it for her down in the lobby with reception. If it were that or anyone else, she was content with not answering. But then whoever was at her door spoke.

"Lavinia!? It's Tajic! I heard a crash, is everything alright?"

Tajic was a different story. She'd earned his concern, by the sound of his voice at least, and he would probably knock at her door until his hands bled if she let him. With a sigh she smoothed back her hair and left the mess behind to go answer. If it had been anyone else, she could have ignored them, but it just had to be Tajic.

Tajic and Lavinia had grown up together, their families being close and mage communities being extremely tight knit being the two main causes. There had been a time when the two of them were closer- seeing each other every day after school, spending summers together as kids, slipping notes to one another under dorm room doors, studying together late into the night- but then the guild system happened when the two of them entered high school. It kept them busy and it kept them apart and, often times, it pitted them against one another. Let alone football seemed to eat up all of Tajic's leftover free time, and Lavnia buried herself deeper and deeper into guild work and her studies. Before the incident with the maze running, they hardly saw each other aside from the odd time they'd pass in the hallway, and even then they'd only acknowledge it half the time.

Until the incident with the maze running, there had been zero reason for them to rekindle whatever friendship they used to have. Until the incident with the maze running, there had been no reason for Tajic to be pounding on her door early in the morning. But now he was there, back in almost every facet of her life, and it made Lavinia... nervous. She wasn't the girl he had grown up with, and he wasn't the boy she used to know. They had grown different in their distance, and now that they were being forced together, she was afraid she'd realize something about herself that would be too late to change.

"Tajic." Lavinia greeted simply as she opened the door- slightly at first, to stop him from knocking, and then all the way to allow him to come inside. He seemed almost surprised, at first, that she answered, but that shock melted into relief as he stepped inside, looking around like a curious puppy being introduced to his new home for the first time.

"I heard a crash! Is everything alri-" He began before he saw the mess she had made in her living room. "Shit! What happened!? Is everything alright!?"

"I'm fine." Lavinia insisted. "It was just an accident..."

"Looks like one hell of an accident." Tajic spoke, sounding unconvinced as he approached her mess. "Is that your violin!? It's in pieces!"

"It's fine." Lavinia sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Do you think it can be fixed? It looks pretty mangled!" Tajic observed as he made a move to try and pick up one of the pieces before Lavinia stopped him, grabbing him by one of the muscular arms.

"I said it's fine!" She snapped.

"A-Are you-?"

"The room will clean up the mess in a second, you don't have to do anything." Lavinia explained sharply, just as the magics in the room began to spring to life and do just that. Bits of glass and wood splinters of her violin hovered in the air as the coffee spill evaporated into the air or vanished into the floor. The room would fix the cup, and the room would repair her violin. There was no reason for worry- just as much as there was reason for Tajic to even be there. "See? Fine."

"A-ah..." Tajic nodded, nervously chuckling. "You _would_ implement a spell like this, you were always super clumsy as a kid."

" _Were_." Lavinia emphasized.

"Heh, then what do you call all this then?" Tajic teased as he motioned to the mess that was half cleaned up at that point. The cup was an easy fix- already mostly put back together at that point- but the violin would probably take an entire day to finally repair. Lavinia grumbled in annoyance, wrinkling her nose.

"Is there anything else you want?" She asked in an icy tone. "I'm not in the mood to reminisce right now."

"O-oh, well..." Tajic's demeanor suddenly shifted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually came here to ask you something before I heard... whatever happened here."

"It was an accident." Lavinia insisted once again.

"Right, right." Tajic nodded, taking a pause that was just long enough to irritate Lavinia.

"So what is it? If it isn't that important, it can be save when we see each other back at the library." She huffed. "I have to get ready for school, so if you don't mind..."

"Wait!" Tajic exclaimed just as Lavinia began to turn her back on him. She paused despite herself, not hiding a sigh she loudly heaved as she did.

"You have three seconds until I officially get fed up." She grumbled.

"I-I was wondering...!" Tajic blathered, partially talking over Lavinia as he spoke up. "...After the game today maybe... I don't know, all of this maze stuff has been really exhausting, so maybe you and me could go to the diner together... grab something to eat?"

"This sounds an awful lot like you're asking me on a date." Lavinia huffed as she turned to face him.

"Well..." Tajic's face turned bright red as he looked in a random direction away from her. "...Maybe I am."

"I can't." Lavinia spoke almost immediately, and Tajic looked back at her like she had just slapped him in the face.

"I-If you're worried we don't have enough time between the game and training in the library, I'm sure one little outing isn't going to-" Tajic began to assure her.

"No, it isn't that!" Lavinia cut him off, stamping her foot. "It's the fact we've hardly spoken in years, and now all of a sudden you're hanging around and asking me out like we're old pals! Let's not kid ourselves here, we're not the people we knew back in middle school. I'm not 'the girl next door' anymore, Tajic! You can't just snap your fingers and suddenly everything goes back to the way they were!"

"Lavinia, I'm sorry!" Tajic apologized desperately.

"If you were sorry, you would have tried to build the bridge your trying to throw together now years ago! Once all of this maze stuff is over, we can go back to the way things used to be, until then..." Lavinia paused, feeling her lip quiver. "... don't talk to me like you know me."

"But I do!" Tajic insisted.

"You knew the old me!" Lavinia shouted. "And I'm not her anymore!"

A painful silence fell over the two of them as they stared back at one another- Tajic looking conflicted and Lavinia looking overwhelmingly frustrated. It didn't take long for the silence to bother Lavinia, though, and she threw up her arms in surrender as she turned her back on Tajic once more.

"As the guildleader of Azorius and a member of the student council, I wish you luck in your game today." She muttered, her words stinging her tongue like acid. "You can see yourself out."

She waited until she heard the door to her apartment click closed before she allowed a single, dry sob to escape her lips as she buried her face in her hands. It seemed being the one doing the rejecting stung just as much as being rejected.

* * *

"Hey... Hey Avacyn! Hello!" Avacyn jerked up from the book she had been lost in, coming to find Chandra waving her hand in her face. She had come alone on her lunch break to study up on pyromancy (Gideon had business he had to take care of with the football game that night) and shortly afterward, Nissa had silently come to join them, although Avacyn hadn't seen her come in. She'd been too engrossed in her reading or... had it just been staring. She couldn't actually recall anything she had read. Maybe it had been the sleepless night she had, or maybe...

"My apologies, I must have been spacing out." She sighed, closing her book.

"Understatement of the year." Chandra rolled her eyes. "I've been trying to get your attention for a while now. That must be a pretty good book."

"I wouldn't know." Avacyn shook her head. "To be honest, I've done much more thinking than reading."

"About what?" Chandra asked. "Maybe I can help?"

"I-I don't know... It doesn't seem like something... 'up your ally'." Avacyn muttered.

"'Up my ally'?" Chandra half-chuckled. "Come on, don't be like that- share with the class!"

"Maybe you shouldn't pester your friend." Nissa spoke up, not turning away from the book she was reading. "If she says you won't understand, maybe there's a chance that you might not understand, and you'll both be wasting the other's time by forcing the subject."

"Hmph, maybe the elementalist can work on removing the stick that's been lodged up her own ass." Chandra commented.

"Maybe you should focus on your studies for once." Nissa shot back. Chandra rolled her eyes and exaggeratedly mouthed what Nissa had said, placing her hands on her hips and swinging them. "I can _see_ you doing that!"

"Lavinia admitted she has feelings for me last night." Avacyn interrupted, eyes focused on the book she had placed in her lap. Nissa and Chandra stared back at her in silence, waiting for Avacyn to do or say anything, but she remained silent, not even a fair blush on her cheeks. She simply looked down at her lap, acting as if she had simply brought up the weather.

"That's... Nice, I suppose..." Nissa spoke up, sounding uneasy.

"...Yeah. Um... congrats." Chandra agreed. "She... I guess she seems like your type- if you even have one."

"I turned her down." Avacyn added.

"WHAT!?" Chandra exclaimed, suddenly extremely invested as she slammed her hands down on the table. "You... But why!?"

"It seemed like the logical course of action..." Avacyn spoke, her brow furrowing slightly as a frown tugged at the sides of her lips. "We are in no state to begin any sort of romantic relationship- we have enough distractions as it is. Plus, a relationship between a human and an angel... Let's just say I have experience in knowing it won't work."

"Love isn't a logical thing, though." Chandra insisted. "I mean, if you don't like her, that's fine but... falling in love isn't something that makes sense logically... I think."

"But I-"

"I think what the human is trying to say is, if you rejected her because you simply don't like her then that's all well and good." Nissa piped up. "But if you did it because you feel reasons that aren't personal, you should think things over a little before outright turning the idea down. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, it's about what you want."

"But... this _is_ what I want..."

"Then how come you look so miserable when you say that?" Chandra asked. Avacyn's eyes widened as she turned to look up at her friend. With a guilty look she turned back down, biting at her lip.

"I... I don't know. I just don't know."

* * *

Lavinia paced up and down the hall that led to the entrance to the library. She had the free time, so her gut told her it was best to get in enough training as she could, but at the same time her heart ached at the thought of Avacyn possibly being there. She groaned in frustration, stopping at the precipice of the security room before turning on her heel and stomping back down the hallway. She didn't have to go down there... or did she?

"This is stupid..." She muttered to herself as she clenched her fists. She had become dizzy from the amount of times she turned around again and again, back and forth. "This is so..." A lump grew in her throat. "I'm so..."

"Hey!" A voice whispering from somewhere in the dimly lit hallway caught her attention, causing her to both gasp and jump as she searched for the source of the voice. "Psst! _Over here_!"

Turning about a few times, Lavinia came to find none other than Tibalt peering from around one of the narrow corridors that branched off from the one she had been pacing up and down. No doubt he had been watching her, taking amusement in her very obvious turmoil. She frowned in disgust at him, unsure if she should approach him or if she should simply turn and leave. Then again, it was either interact with the troll of the school newspaper or not add another problem to her plate. If this was a chance to finally free her from her inability to make a decision over whether or not to visit the library, she was taking it at face value- anything to free her from her problems a moment more.

"Wait! Please, wait!" She heard Tibalt beg as he rushed from his hiding spot and grabbed her arm. Lavinia groaned as she pulled away, looking over her shoulder at him.

"What, might I ask, is the newly appointed Gruul guildleader doing lurking around here? Could it be you're already shirking your responsibilities, or maybe you're looking for your next big scoop?" She spat. "Knowing you, it could be either one."

"I was never meant to be a guild leader! You know as well as I that Bolas has been forcing the hand of the guilds to elect the people he wants into power! If they'd actually had any say, you know they wouldn't have chosen me. The school paper is one thing, but guildleader of an entire guild is way too big a burden to bear." Tibalt blathered.

"Why are you here, Tibalt?" Lavinia asked, rolling her eyes.

"To beg for mercy... not just for me, but for everyone apart of the night class!" Tibalt cried out, reaching out once more and grasping onto her shirt. "...But mostly for me! I'm just an innocent caught up in all of this, you know, I was never apart of this from the start-"

"What do you mean 'beg for mercy'?" Lavinia asked, pulling away one more from Tibalt's grasp as if he were a leper.

"Bolas intends to have the guildleaders he's placed into power run the maze, and you know him- he'll have them ordered to take all of you out of the picture." Tibalt explained. "But I beg you not to react in kind, especially to me! Dying doesn't sound like a very viable option and this point and I have so much to live for-"

"If that's the case, we'll spare Kiora. At the very least we know the poor girl was in the same boat as Tajic, Ral and me. But the rest of them are Bolas' minions, why should we show them any mercy? A few of them have blood on their hands already." Lavinia cocked an eyebrow. "Why ask us to spare them?"

"They aren't his minions- gods do you hear yourself talk?" Tibalt seethed. "Bolas has been at this for a lot longer than you're thinking he has. He's had the night class students under his thumb for a while! We don't even know if the stuff they did to get into the night class was under their own volition. And when they're in the maze, what they do won't be of their own volition, either!"

"What about you? What if what you're doing isn't 'of your own volition'. Excuse me if I don't find you very trustworthy." Lavinia folded her arms.

"No, no, see, I'm different!"

"Oooh, aaaare you now." Lavinia scoffed, sounding unconvinced.

"Don't give me that! I'm pleading for my life!" Tibalt sighed. "That _bitch_ , Baltrice, has her claws in me. If I don't do what she says, she'll have Jace get inside my mind and force me to kill myself. I may have a little more more free will than the others, but I'll be in the same boat come the maze running."

"So you're going to try and murder us to save your _own_ hide?" Lavinai asked, hands on her hips.

"Gods, when you say it that way it makes me sound really shitty..."

"Well it's because you kind of are!"

"Well excuse me if I don't really feel like dying just yet!"

"Well, if you're telling the truth, then all of Bolas' minions from the night class have been under his control for... quite a while." Lavinia sighed thoughtfully. "And you of all people are asking us to spare them?"

"And me!"

"Ah, I see, an act of benevolence is really just you covering your own ass. I guess I shouldn't take you for being that compassionate." Lavinia rolled her eyes. "But... if you're saying is true, then what about-?"

"Tibalt! There you are!" A third voice interrupted them. Lavinia looked up while Tibalt looked down at the ground nervously. Baltrice strode down the hallway, smirking with her arms open wide in an oddly familiar gesture that was out-of-place just enough to make Lavinia squirm. "So this where you've been hiding! We need to chat, guildleader-to-guildleader!"

"O-oh, do we now...?" Tibalt stammered as Baltrice made her way over to him and threw one of her arms over his shoulders. His knees buckled either under the weight or the force, or maybe both, but Baltrice kept it so that he couldn't quite stand back upright completely.

"Of course we do." Baltrice grinned from ear to ear before she looked at Lavinia, her eyes narrowing in a way that unnerved her. "I'm sorry if he was bothering you, you know Tibalt and his _crazy_ stories. Boy doesn't really know when to keep his mouth shut." She put a little more weight on Tibalt's shoulders, who grunted in discomfort.

"No, not at all, he wasn't bothering me." Lavinia shook her head. "We haven't even been talking very long. What was it you wanted to tell me, Tibalt?" She turned to him, seeing the unsubtle glimmer of gratitude in his eyes.

"I was just... going to wish your guild luck in the maze running." He managed to force out, the strain of trying to keep Baltrice from forcing him to the floor clear in his voice.

"And to yours as well." Lavinia nodded before turning to Baltrice. "He's all yours."

"Thank you. We've got a lot of business to catch up on." Baltrice sneered. "Sorry to cut your little heart-to-heart short."

"It's quite alright, like I said we hadn't really talked for very long. I have some of my own business to attend to, anyway, so this works out just fine." Lavinia nodded. "Best of luck to you and the rest of Rakdos in the maze running."

"And to you as well. It's going to be a real dangerous game- you're going to need it." Baltrice warned her with a smirk.

"I've been meaning to ask you, while you're here..." Lavinia brought up. "Why Rakdos? It didn't really seem like a first choice for you, especially."

"Oh... well, let's just say it's been a long time coming." Baltrice chuckled before slapping Tibalt on the back. "Let's not keep Lavinia here any longer. I'm sure what she has to attend to is... _very important_." Lavinia nodded politely and watched them go, hiding as best she could her discomfort that Baltrice had managed to dredge up. No encounter with Baltrice ever seemed to sit well with her, no matter how short. Once the two of them had gone, she turned back in the direction of the library, feeling uneasy once again but for a whole different reason.

"I...I should report this to Sorin." She told herself, giving herself a reason to finally depart from the hallway. "While I have the free time."

Walking at a brisk pace away from the subject of her unease, she made her way to the stairway, hoping at least that her meeting with the vampire would drag on until the end of her lunch period- or else she'd find herself pacing in front of the library entrance once again. She made it about halfway before she was stopped, a familiar voice calling out to her at her back. She heaved an audible sigh as she reached the top of the stairs, standing up straight and stiff.

"What do you want, Tajic?" She asked wearily. "I'm a little busy."

"I'm sorry I just... I've been thinking of what happened this morning and I... I just can't get it out of my head." Tajic sighed as he began to climb the stairs.

"Really? And after all these years of hardly speaking to one another, you'd think you'd be pretty good at ignoring things." Lavinia chuckled. "Just forget about it, alright. We're totally different people now, and we shouldn't feel obligated to form some kind of relationship at this point. After this year, I'm going to go to college elsewhere, and you're staying here for football, and we can go back to not existing in each other's lives. There, done. Simple."

"That's it, Lavinia! I... I don't want things to just wind up like that. I'm sorry if we grew apart these last four years I just... thought you didn't want me around." Tajic admitted. "...What happened to us, Lavinia?"

"We just... grew up, that's all." Lavinia shrugged, nervously toeing at the ground. "Why does this all of a sudden bother you!?"

"It's bothered me for a while! It doesn't seem to have phased you at all, but for me... It's bothered me quite a lot." Tajic paused, his voice sounding oddly strained. Lavinia looked back at him, nerves and annoyance both boiling in her stomach.

"What are you saying, Tajic?" She asked, even though she knew she wasn't going to like the answer.

"I'm saying... I... I like you." Tajic mumbled, the volume of his voice dropping considerably. Lavinia stared back at him, wide eyed and mouth agape... and then a chuckle escaped her.

"Right. Well, nice talking to you." She smirked bitterly as she began to turn to leave.

"Lavinia, please, I'm serious!" Tajic said urgently.

"If you were serious, you wouldn't have waited four years!" Lavinia shouted. "If you were serious then you wouldn't be telling me this now, when we're months from parting ways and starting our totally separate futures! You wouldn't... you never..."

"Lavinia, I'm sorry! I know I beat around the bunch too long, but please, hear me out!"

"Why should I!? We have nothing but this stupid maze running keeping us together! Other than that we have nothing in common! There's nothing keeping me from just walking away, I don't need to stand here and listen to you talk about how you _suddenly_ feel!" Lavinia shot back, beginning to turn around.

"Wait!" Tajic pleaded as he reached out in desperation.

"Don't touch me!" Lavinia shrieked, spinning back around to slap his hand away. However, as she did, she felt her equilibrium violently shift as one of her feet slipped from the step she had been standing precariously by. With a gasp, she felt herself begin to fall backwards down the stairs. Before she could even cry out, though, she felt someone embrace her, tightly wrapping her in their arms before she and whoever was shielding her fell to the level below. Eyes squeezed shut, Lavinia could only feel the jostling of tumbling down the steps, and then the pain of being flung from the arms of who had protected her and landing on the floor. She slid a fair distance before her back hit the wall opposite the stairs. Her body ached and stung, but nothing felt as if it would result in anything greater than a bruise or a bump.

"Holy shit!" She heard someone shout.

"Somebody get help!" Another voice cried.

"No, no need, I'm fi-" Lavinia began to assure them before she picked herself up and realized someone else lying at the foot of the stairs, motionless, a small pool of blood growing at their head. In that moment, Lavinia felt as if her insides had shifted, and it left her feeling queasy. Panic soon followed, hitting her like a truck.

"Tajic!"

* * *

The first thing that greeted Tajic when he awoke was a rhythmic beeping. At first he figured it was his alarm clock rousing him from his slumber, but as he lifted his arm to try and shut it off, he was greeted by a sharp pain that forced him completely awake. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him in a room that most definitely wasn't his own. Bulky medical equipment lurked in the corners of his vision, and the soft sound of someone calling for assistance over an intercom system echoed from outside the room.

"Where... the hell...?" He mumbled, attempting to move, only to find his entire body ached, and his head swam when he tried to move it too much to the left or right.

"Tajic!" Lavinia suddenly shifted into his vision, rubbing sleep from her eyes and drool from her chin. "You're awake! Thank the gods!" She drew closer, relief practically aglow in her bloodshot eyes.

"Lavinia...?" He muttered, the overhead lights starting to make his head ache. "...Where are we?"

"Wh- you... you don't remember anything?" She asked. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought."

"Hit my...?" Tajic began to question before memories came flooding back. Lavinia had attempted to push him away, but had only succeeded in tripping down the stairs. It had been a thoughtless move, but reaching out and cushioning her fall had been all he had the time to think up. And, from what he could see- and even more so _feel_ \- he had payed for it greatly. "A-Are you alright!?"

"Me? I'm all fine, thanks to you. You're the one with the concussion, I should be the one asking _you_ if _you're_ okay." Lavinia chuckled.

"Head hurts a bit..." Tajic mumbled.

"Understandable." Lavinia smiled. "I'll call for a nurse here in a second. I need to talk to you... in private first."

"The game...?" Tajic inquired. Lavinia clicked her tongue.

"They killed it without you, I swear I could hear the cheering from here. I guess that means it's off to the finals for you guys- b-but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about, you dumb jock!" Lavinia explained. "I'm... sorry for rejecting you like I did."

"No... it's fine... I was a little too forceful..." Tajic attempted to assure her.

"No, it's not! A lot of shit has been going on in my life and... I took it out on you. I shouldn't have, I'm sorry." She admitted, rubbing the back of her head and looking about the room. "And, I know we're totally different people now... and we haven't spoken in a really long time before all of this. It's pretty much my fault."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself... it's just as much my fault... as it is yours..." Tajic interrupted.

"Whoever is to blame isn't the point! What matters is that... maybe we just need to start over- start fresh. Maybe it's time the new Lavinia got to meet the new Tajic." Lavinia spoke softly, her cheeks growing a soft shade of red.

"...I'd like that." Tajic said warmly with a sleepy smile.

"Well, then, it's decided. It's nice to meet you- again- Tajic." Lavinia chuckled, holding out her hand before immediately retracting it. "Right, injuries, sorry. Maybe some other time..."

"Heh... it's nice to meet you -again- too, Lavinia."

* * *

Lavinia left the hospital shortly afterward, her heart pounding against her chest and her body feeling pleasantly warm despite the chilly evening. The weight that had been placed firmly on her shoulders seemed to had lifted, leaving her feeling feather-light. If it had been less of a public place, she may have felt the need to dance or run, embracing her new-found freedom from her troubles, but she chose to remain reverent as she began her tip homeward.

The only thing that remained inside her that cooled her mood the slightest bit was Avacyn. Once again, she'd return to her empty apartment, the angel she had driven away no longer her quiet companion. Lavinia frowned, the weight she had thought herself free from resting on her once more. If only she hadn't opened her big mouth. If only she had kept her feelings to herself, than maybe she wouldn't be returning home alone.

"Lavinia!"

She was so hung up on her friend, she could even hear her voice.

"Lavinia!"

"What?" Lavinia looked up, coming to find Avacyn running toward her, much to her surprise. She was accompanied by no one else, and that put Lavinia on high alert. Part of her even wanted to run away, unsure if she could be able to keep her composure in her presence, but she held her ground and waved awkwardly. "O-Oh... Avacyn! You don't have to worry about Tajic, he's in good hands now."

"That's wonderful news but... that's not why I'm here." Avacyn admitted. Lavinia cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"...I-is there someone else here at the hospital you're visiting?" She asked carefully.

"Wh-? No, I have no business here." Avacyn shook her head. "I... I came here to speak to you."

"To _me_?" Lavinia asked, pointing at herself and looking around, as if Avacyn had been speaking to someone else. "Are you serious?"

"Completely." Avacyn nodded as she drew closer. "I don't have very much time, I still have things to take care of at the library, but I've thought long and hard about this."

"A-About what?" Lavinia dared to ask, feeling her heart nervously flutter. She hoped it was dark enough to hide her blush.

"About what you said the night before... about having... feelings for me." Avacyn spoke carefully, as if she was trying to calm down an animal of prey. "Were you... were you serious when you said that? Can you honestly say that you feel that way about me?"

"I... I mean..." Lavinia stammered, sweating even in the chill of night. "Of course I did... I meant every bit of what I said... of what little I said. I really do like you, Avacyn."

"Even if I'm not a human?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm immortal?"

"Yes!"

"Then I've made my decision." Avacyn spoke abruptly.

"Decision? Decision about what?" Lavinia asked a split second before she felt Avacyn gently reach out and rest her hands on her cheeks. Her touch was as cold as the winter winds that were long behind them, but Lavinia hardly had time to flinch as Avacyn leaned in and pressed a single, tender kiss against her forehead.

"W-wh... I-!" Lavinia gasped, trying to grasp for anything to say and only coming up with single words and syllables.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lavinia." Avacyn said with a quick smile before she vanished, leaving a gust of wind and stray feathers dancing in the air in her wake. Lavinia stood rooted to where she had been left, reaching up and rubbing the spot on her forehead where Avacyn's lips had touched. The warm feeling that had filled her coming out of the hospital was now a boiling tempest inside of her.

"Y-yeah... tomorrow." She nodded.

* * *

Baltrice sat on the bleachers of the football field alone, finishing off one of many cigarettes- the others just tiny little butts scattered around by her boots. She flicked yet another one away, watching the tiny, glowing ashes vanish between the seats. She figured she'd be kept waiting, but this was starting to seem rude, even to her. She sighed, reaching into the box she had brought with her, finding it nearly empty. At this rate she'd be left alone _and_ craving. Yet another inconvenience to add to her night.

"You called for me?" She looked up, coming to find Jace standing at the bottom of the bleachers, staring back at her with a bored expression. There was no real point in chewing him out, he probably didn't feel any remorse about leaving her to wait for him, even if she could force out a wooden sorry from him.

"Took you long enough." She groaned. "Get up here, I don't want to have a conversation with you all the way down there." Jace nodded and began climbing the steps until he reached where she was sitting. She sighed as she looked up at him, standing stalk-still as he looked back at her unfazed.

"You know, you _are_ Bolas' little mindslave, but I'm pretty sure he left you with enough free will where you can sit down _without_ having to be fucking told." She grunted. There was no real satisfying response from her companion- he merely took a seat beside her and stared out into the darkness.

"Want one?" Baltrice offered, generously offering the last cigarette in the pack after she fished the other out for herself. Jace stared, looking between the box and her in a manner that seemed almost confused, or maybe like disbelief.

"What is this meeting about exactly?" He asked. "Is there something Bolas needs us to do?"

"Oh for the god's sake..." Baltrice grumbled as she took the box she was offering back. "I didn't call you here to talk about that dragon's plans."

"Then what for?" Jace asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to talk, alright!" Baltrice shot back before drawing back and taking a long, calming breath. She grasped her cigarette between her lips and summoned a single, blue flame from the tip of one of her fingers to light it. She should have expected as much, but it was still incredibly annoying to have to guide Jace through a casual conversation like a robot. "There's no one else I can talk to about this. No one from the night class with take it seriously, and like hell I'll ever have a heart-to-heart with Sarkhan 'how about you do something useful for once' Vol. And Bolas is way out of the question..."

"What about Tezzeret?" Jace inquired. Baltrice looked over to him, unable to keep herself from feeling a bit surprised. "What? You two seem close enough, it would make more sense to talk to him about unimportant things than me."

"I... No, I can't." Baltrice shook her head, taking an extra long drag of her cigarette before speaking again, letting the smoke flow out of her mouth along with her words. "I don't want him worrying about me. He has enough on his plate, I really shouldn't..."

"You must really like him." Jace noted coldly.

" _Yes_ \- I mean, of _course_ I do, he- oh, never mind! It doesn't matter!" Baltrice grumbled angrily. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

"...I have nothing better to do. I guess I have time to listen." Jace shrugged. "But about what, exactly?"

"...Strange things have been happening to me lately." Baltrice sighed as she looked down at her hands, clenching and un-clenching them several times. "I'm used to having nightmares, but lately I've been having... different ones. I don't recognize anything, or anyone, and when I wake up I can't remember where I am or who I am. I open my eyes and everything is blank, and for a split second I... I feel like I forget everything, even myself."

"Does it scare you?" Jace asked.

"Of course it scares me, asshole!" Baltrice snapped. "To lose everything, even for a second, is terrifying. And when it all floods back, I feel so overwhelmed, it's hard to even breath! Something's happening to me... Something bad."

"Maybe Nicol Bolas has an answer." Jace suggested.

"Maybe Nicol Bolas can suck my asshole!" Baltrice shot back.

"No need to get testy, it was just a suggestion." Jace muttered.

"I don't want to talk about it with Bolas." Baltrice shook her head as she looked up at the clear night sky. "I don't want to... because I'm afraid he'll tell me. And... part of me doesn't want to know."

"Is that so...?' Jace asked, not necessarily in attempts to get an answer.

"...Why am I even here?" Baltrice muttered to herself. "What's the point?"

"Hmm?"

"...It's nothing. Forget it." Baltrice sighed, finishing off yet another cigarette. "It's nothing at all."


	41. Of Anticipation and Anxiety

Winter had long since deserted the Ravnica Academy campus, however, standing in the darkness of the old church building, Baltrice couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine as she wrung her hands together. It had been what felt like an eternity of back and forth before she gathered the courage to arrange this meeting, and as she had expected she was being made to endure a long evening of waiting, the original meeting time having long since passed.

It made sense, as furious as it made her to admit it- at this point in the game she was a nobody. She'd done her part that had made her a vital piece on the playing field, and now she was just being kept around to bolster numbers. There was no reason to pay her any respect aside from the reward she had been promised in the end, and as much as it burned her up inside, it all fizzled out under the suffocating winds of defeat. Had it been anyone else, she would have long sense left, refusing to endure being snubbed for so long. But, even though she had been the one to put the meeting together, she felt as if she would be punished if she left.

"It's very rare to hear from you these days, Baltrice." A voice suddenly hissed from the darkness. Baltrice turned to see Nicol Bolas- taking the form of a young woman no older than her- sitting atop the pulpit and looking down at her with a smile on his lips but annoyance in his eyes. "Especially since the maze running begins tomorrow. What could it possibly be that you couldn't save for a few more hours?"

Baltrice stood frozen to where she stood, her mouth agape, but no words managing to escape her. She had half the mind to forget the whole thing- but that would make the elderdragon more annoyed with her than if she actually got up the courage to speak. She gulped, feeling her mouth growing dry.

"Well? I didn't come here to watch you impersonate a fish, Baltrice- _out with it_!"

"Why insist on having us run the maze for you!?" She shouted, her voice cracking a bit as her resolve rose and wavered by the second. "You have Jace, and enough people to run the maze for you. At this point, Tezzeret's and my presence shouldn't really be required. W-We've already done so much for you, why have us risk our lives!? Don't you think we've already done enough at this point?" She felt her heart sink as Bolas sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This sort of thing _always_ happens with you." He said as he shook his head. "So high on that free agency of yours that you start to get into that tiny pea-brain that you can go against my orders..."

"...What are you... talking about?" Baltrice asked nervously. "I-I don't understand!"

"You never do, no matter how many times we go through this song and dance. But, I guess, at this point in the game, there won't be many repercussions in telling you- not that you could ever disobey me in protest." Bolas chuckled as he stood up on the pulpit before leaping through the air and coming to rest before Baltrice with the grace and steadiness of a feather. "I'll let you in on a little secret that will answer those questions of yours."

Baltrice stood stalk still, feeling as if she was paralyzed, as Nicol Bolas leaned in and whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open as he spoke, each word feeling as if it would knock her completely off balance. Part of her wanted to reach up and wring his neck- harm him in some way to release the anger that was building up inside her. But even that paled in comparison to the pain and the feeling that he had broken her with only a few whispers in her ear.

"Now, do you understand why you'll be running the maze- why, even now, as useless a husk as you are to me, I continue to use you?" Bolas asked as he drew back. Baltrice hadn't the heart or the air in her lungs to respond as she stared ahead, not necessarily at the beast standing before her. "Maybe with this new-found knowledge you'll be able to... put your all into your performance tomorrow in the maze."

"Why...?" Baltrice asked, the words burning her throat and coming out dry and coarse.

"Why?" Bolas asked, chuckling a bit to himself. "Because it was necessary. You have always been necessary, Baltrice." He spoke her name as if it were an insult. "And you always will be necessary."

Baltrice continued to stand as still as a statue, feeling her blood run cold and her stomach turn. She wanted what he has said to all just be a lie, but deep down she knew that Bolas never lied. He only ever withheld things until he felt it necessary to share them, just as he had done with Sorin, just as he had done with Liliana and now, just as he had done with her.

"Unless there's anything else you're just dying to ask me, I need to be taking my leave- plenty of last-minute details to be taken care of and so on."

Baltrice remained silent, her eyes now fixed on the ground as her shoulders began to shake. She bit her lip, a lump in her throat keeping her from speaking- not that she had any more words to share with the monster who had begun to turn his back on her.

"Very well, then." He sighed in mock-disappointment as he began to walk away into the shadows. "Oh, and very best of luck in the maze tomorrow. I know you'll do just as I hope you will- you always have... and you always will."

And, with that, Bolas vanished into the darkness, leaving Baltrice to stand in the empty church building in silence. A strangled moan escaped her, echoing all around her as she gave into her weakening legs and fell to her knees. The room was spinning, her head was aching and her heart was pounding furiously against her chest. And all she could hear were the words Bolas had whispered in her ear, repeating over and over like an echo that refused to fade.

Throwing her head back and wailing, Baltrice cried for the first time in a very long, long time.

* * *

"Can't we stay a little while longer?" Chandra asked, the last person remaining seated as everyone else began to collect their things. "I-I mean, maybe we could pull an all-nighter before tomorrow. There's still a few things I-"

"We're going to need all the sleep we can get before the maze-running tomorrow." Avacyn spoke up, cutting her off. "There's a lot of things that could go wrong, but us being sleep deprived is something we can and should prevent."

"It is a pleasant fantasy, though, to think that us escaping down here and studying magic would never end." Liliana sighed as she looked up at the bookshelves that towered over them. They had been such an amazing sight to all of them when they had first been brought to the library, but now there was something comforting about the dimly lit chamber and the rows and rows of books that made them forget the inevitable- about the figurative monster that had been creeping ever closer with each passing day. And now it was gnashing at their heels, and the only thing keeping them from the anxiety of awaiting the long-awaited morning to come were those same bookshelves in the chamber that had become almost like a second home. "But Avacyn is right, we should get going."

"Come on, Chandra, lets not make everyone else wait on us." Gideon said as he pulled her chair out with her still sitting on it with ease. She responded with a grumble, going limp in her chair and pulling her beanie over her eyes. "Are you going to make me carry you out of here like a little kid?"

"If you pick me up, Gideon, I swear to the gods I will bite you." Chandra warned, smacking at his hands as she felt them touch her before grudgingly getting out of her chair, a pout on her lips and her hands shoved angrily into the pockets of her jacket.

"Oh! There is one more thing we need to take care of before we go, though." Lavinia mentioned as she looked to Tajic and Ral. Tajic responded with a nod of agreement while Ral simply rolled his eyes.

"Do we have to? I mean, doesn't it seem a little too formal since we're _all_ going to be running the maze?" He asked.

"Have to do what?" Nissa spoke up, the closest from leaving the meeting area. She seemed rather antsy, as if she had somewhere she needed to be- and it couldn't possibly be to visit Emmara, seeing as visiting hours at the hospital had long since been over.

"Well, the maze itself is protected by a spell that torments those who enter without permission with illusions until they choose to leave. I'm certain both Gideon and Chandra can attest to this being the case." Avacyn explained with a nod towards Lavinia.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Chandra shivered.

"Unless we administer the proper counterspell, none of us can enter the maze." Lavinia nodded back. "As guildleaders, we can administer it to whoever we wish- and we will, but there's the matter of choosing our 'official maze runners' that needs to be taken into account."

"I don't see why we can't just give everyone what they need to enter the maze and be done with it. We don't need to speechify and hold some grand spectacle if we're all breaking into the maze." Ral complained.

"As a guildleader, you should start taking these sorts of things into consideration." Tajic scolded. "In our current situation, mine and Lavinia's places as guildleaders are temporary, but there will be no one to take back the guildleader seat for Izzet once this business with the maze is settled. So you'd better get used to going through all of the official motions. You'll come to find that things like this are necessary sometimes."

"Well I think it's dumb." Ral groaned before Lavinia cleared her throat to silence them while giving Ral a stern look that was just enough to keep him from walking off on his own away from the rest of the party.

"Let's not make this difficult. The sooner we take care of business here, the sooner we can go our separate ways for the night." She sighed before straightening up and folding her arms behind her back, suddenly gaining an overwhelmingly official air about her. "Avacyn, Chandra, Gideon, would you three mind stepping forward, please?" Avacyn was quick to find her place before Lavinia and the other two while Gideon coaxed Chandra to join them and gave her a nudge as if to say she should at least pull her beanie up from over her eyes. Lavinia waited patiently until the three of them were settled before setting her eyes on Avacyn.

"Avacyn Markov, as guildleader of the Azorius Senate, it has been decided for you to represent our guild in the upcoming maze running." Lavinia spoke clearly and cleanly in a commanding voice that seemed to demand attention from, not just Avacyn, but all of them. "If you would so choose to accept it."

"I do." Avacyn said with a nod, her words oddly warm for the situation that were enough to throw Lavinia off balance for a brief moment. And, even though she quickly regained composure, her cheeks were still slightly flushed as she continued.

"I'll be needing your hand." She spoke as she held out her own, poised and waiting for Avacyn to rest her hand in hers. "We of Azorius seek to prevent this school from descending into chaos, and to uphold the rules set in place to prevent disorder. With this mark, will you promise to uphold these things as well, as a representative of the Azorius Senate?"

"Yes." Avacyn spoke strongly with a nod, locking eyes with Lavinia intensely. Lavinia smiled, her intense air waning slightly as she rested her other hand on top of Avacyn's.

"Then, I name you our official representative in tomorrow's maze running." Lavinia paused, her smile growing warmer and her manner of speech growing a little more casual. "You'll do just fine."

Avacyn shivered slightly as she felt a cool tingle run through her body, feeling as if a winter wind had just blown past even though the air around them was hardly moving. However, along with the chill, she felt something else roused within her to uphold order. It made her feel safer, somehow, oddly enough, as doubts that filled her mind were silenced for a few, brief moments. Lavinia's hands remained, still holding Avacyn's hand long after the sensations had vanished- selfishly lingering. And when she pulled away, she did so slowly, as if she were taking in every last inch, revealing the guild symbol tattooed on her pale skin.

"I'll do my best." Avacyn spoke softly in a voice that seemed just a little too intimate for being among their friends. Lavinia seemed to take notice of the situation, looking to every other person aside from Avacyn in the room with her cheeks flushed red, but Avacyn's gaze remained rested on her.

"W-wow, I don't know if I'll ever be able to top something like that." Tajic chuckled nervously. "You're a tough act to follow, Lavinia, that was really... powerful."

"And by powerful I think he means 'sexually charged'." Ral spoke under his breath, fanning himself exaggeratedly.

"Yeah, get a room!" Chandra teased.

"I wonder if there was a little bit of a bias in Lavinia's choice of maze runner." Liliana added, smirking a bit. Lavinia frowned in response, face as red as a tomato, but Liliana remained undaunted. "So scandalous, especially for the guildleader of Azorius."

"Could we just hurry this along?" Lavinia grumbled, eyeing Tajic angrily. A chill ran up his spine as he met her gaze before he cleared his throat.

"Y-yes, let's get back on track!" He nodded stiffly before turning his attentions to Gideon. His friend regarded his gaze and went from chuckling quietly along with the others to standing at attention like an alert soldier.

"Wow, he's got your boyfriend trained better than you." Ral whispered to Chandra, who merely responded to him with a quick whack on the head, as if she were scolding a misbehaving dog.

"Gideon Jura..." Tajic said, clearly fishing for things to say as he looked up at the ceiling, speaking more with his hands than his actual mouth. "You've... been a friend, a teammate and a guildmember of Boros for a very long time. It would... be only fitting that you run the maze as a representative of our guild... for the future of Boros and this school, and all..."

"It would." Gideon agreed with a slight chuckle and a cock of an eyebrow. Competent guildleader or not, it didn't seem like Tajic had ever found himself in circumstances where he was supposed to give any form of public address.

"So... er..." Tajic fumbled, his gaze slowly tracing to the side as he struggled to find words that were meaningful. "What say you?" were the words he finally fell upon, adding a quick, quiet "...I guess" under his breath. Gideon laughed again, this time looking like he was attempting to keep from throwing back his head in laughter.

"It would be an honor, both as your friend and as a member of the Boros Legion." He responded, much more strongly and eloquently. "Whatever happens in the maze, I promise to face it head on."

"This is the part where they kiss." Ral spoke up ever-so-slightly.

"A-Anyway!" Tajic stumbled before clearing his throat, eyeing Ral angrily. Not that the lightning mage was deterred at all by it, as he continued to chuckle in the background of Tajic's attempted speech. "Gideon... your hand, please?"

"In marriage- ow!" Ral exclaimed as Chandra gave him a warning in the form of a firm bop on the head.

"Enough out of you." She whispered harshly.

"Don't pay attention to him- here." Gideon chuckled warmly before holding out his hand. Gingerly, Tajic took Gideon's hand in his, wrapping his fingers around his hand tentatively, trying his hardest to focus on the spell instead of Chandra and Ral having a petty argument in forced whispers and low hisses about Ral's side-comments.

"Then, with this mark, I name you the official representative in tomorrow's maze running." Tajic spoke, finally in a time strong enough for the situation. "I have faith in your abilities to make it through."

A swell of power and confidence suddenly filled Gideon and a warmth passed over him, feeling as if he were encased in flame. Nothing about the heat seemed to be cause for worry, however, only causing him to be filled with a new-found determination. For a brief moment, the dark depths of the maze he remembered were no longer daunting, and the thought that he could perish within them faded out completely. He breathed in the invisible flames that encased him and exhaled his doubts. It was a dangerously empowering feeling, so much that Gideon himself began to wonder if it would lead him to do something rash, but as quickly as it had come the feelings dissipated into the air around him, leaving behind only a ringing in Gideon's ears and a mark on his hand. The symbol of the Boros guild was still hot to the touch even after the warmth had left him.

"Alright, Mister Zarek, you're up." Nissa spoke up. "The sooner you finish up, the sooner we can leave."

"You want fast? Fine, all this speechifying is superfluous anyway." Ral muttered before turning to Chandra who looked back at him like she wasn't sure if she was prepared to listen or prepared to fight him.

"And here I was hoping to be running the maze for Azorius or Boros..." She sighed exaggeratedly.

"We're all having to do things we figured we didn't have to." Ral rolled his eyes before taking a long, deep breath, as if he were preparing to scream instead of actually give something in the way of a moving speech. But what wound up coming out of him was neither the former or the later, but at the same time it was all very unsurprising.

"Chandra Nalaar, blah, blah, blah, on behalf of the Izzet League, blah-dy blah blah, words of sentiment, blah blabity blah blah, run the maze?"

"Wow, that was... so overwhelmingly moving, Ral, I don't know what to say." Chandra spoke in a mock-emotional tone, wiping a fake tear from her eye before resting her hand on her chest over-dramatically. "Simply beautiful."

"Are you going to run the maze for Izzet or not?" Ral asked impatiently, holding out his hand. "Now rather than later would be nice, Nalaar."

Chandra's gaze took on an air of sudden seriousness before she half-sighed/ half-chuckled through her nose.

"Honestly? You're still a huge dick, and you never take anything seriously, even now. As a guildleader, you're pretty low on my list of people I'd want to represent..." She began, a smirk stretching across her lips before she shook her head and laughed to herself as she rested her hand in his firmly, like she was giving him a handshake. "But as a friend, I guess I'm obligated."

"Hey, stop stealing my thunder." Ral muttered.

"Then stop making it so easy." Chandra sneered. "For a guy who can literally summon up electricity you make it pretty damn easy."

Suddenly a shock ran through her that shot up her arm, forcing her to tear her hand away from Ral's and yelp. She grasped at her hand, her entire arm still tingling. Despite her obvious discomfort, Ral found the whole ordeal to be rather amusing as he laughed, grasping at his sides.

"What the hell Ral!? That wasn't funny, seriously, that hurt!" Chandra complained. "Do you really think now is the time for one of your stupid little pranks?"

"Whose to say it was?" Ral asked, his shoulders still shaking as he laughed, motioning towards Chandra's hand. Sure enough, as she looked down at her hand, fingers still twitching in discomfort, there was the Izzet guild's symbol marked on her skin, small sparks still crackling up from the lines imprinted onto her hand.

"Would it have killed you to be a little gentler?" Chandra groaned, still nursing her aching hand. "Everybody else got something meaningful, and what do I get? A sadistic joy buzzer." She shook her hand, as if she was trying to shake off the tingling left behind by the spell.

"That takes care of all of the official business. The rest of you will take care of things tomorrow." Avacyn interrupted. "Until then, I ask you all take this time to rest. We have a very long day tomorrow. I..." She paused, gaze traveling down to the floor before she looked back up, a slight smile on her lips. "I want to thank you... all of you... This is definitely not a task I expected you all to be up for taking. I know I'm asking a lot of all of you, and I know that the odds seem like they're stacked against us... Whatever happens tomorrow I just wanted to say... I'm grateful."

"Heh, wow, never knew you could be such a sap, Avacyn." Chandra teased.

"You're our friend, and this place and the people here are important to us." Gideon chuckled, resting a hand on Chandra's shoulder. "It's impossible for us to say no."

"What, did you expect us to just stand back and let things happen?" Nissa asked, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't let the place and people that Emmara cares for so much get decimated, even if the most of you lot are humans."

Avacyn grew silent as she stared right back at the ground before she reached up to wipe at her eyes with the back of her hand. Everyone else fell just as quiet, watching in shocked awe as Avacyn audibly sniffled as she hid her face in her hands. However, passed her hands, a smile peaked through the gaps in her fingers as her lips parted to make way for small, reverent sobs. It was a scene that was as shocking as it was new and awkward.

With a deep breath, Avacyn rubbed at her eyes one last time before lifting her head, her eyes still moist with tears. But she looked back at all of her friends with a smile warmer than any she had ever given.

"Thank you... thank all of you..." She said, her voice quivering.

"Let's kick some smug dragon ass tomorrow." Chandra smirked. "For Ravnica."

"For the school." Gideon added with a nod.

"And for Jace." Liliana chimed in as she looked up to the ceiling of the library, the orbs that provided light for them dancing about lazily. "He's waited long enough."

* * *

Tezzeret knew it was late. He didn't have to look at the clock as he stumbled through the darkness of his apartment, he could feel it. But whoever was pounding on his door obviously felt otherwise, and they showed no signs of stopping. At this rate, there was no doubt he would get complaints if he just let whoever it was have their way with his front door, so he had reluctantly torn himself from bed to see just what psycho felt the need to wake him and probably the whole floor up at some ungodly hour of the night.

"For the gods' sake, what!?" He groaned as he opened the door and narrowly dodged a fist- a strike he wasn't sure was meant for the door or for him.

"Tezz!" It was Baltrice. She steadied herself on his door frame, zero composure in her stance as she put a surprising amount of half-failed effort to try and push herself back onto her feet. She chuckled to herself, shaking her head. If her sloppy movements weren't a huge, distracting giveaway, the smell that lingered on her certainly was a telltale sign of how she'd been spending her night up until then. The aroma of strong alcohol that clung to her would be worrisome coming from an adult- even more so coming from a high school-aged girl. "You're home!"

"O-Of course I'm home, this is my apartment, and it's incredibly late- what are you doing here!?" He asked, cutting to the chase as she stumbled forward and clung to his shirt. "The maze running is tomorrow, this is hardly acceptable!"

"What? Is it wrong of me to want to see my _lover_?" She asked, her words slurred so much Tezzeret could hardly make out what she said.

"Not at this time of night while you're- I swear, where did you even _get_ alcohol?" Tezzeret groaned, slowly guiding her inside of his apartment. At this point, sending her away would be the worst possible decision despite how unbelievably tempting it was. He flicked on the lights and led her to the living room where he began to try and attempt to sit her down on the couch, but for someone who could hardly stand upright, Baltrice was incredibly stubborn.

"A lot of places are easy to shake down if you threaten to burn down their establishment." Baltrice explained before snorting and cackling to herself again.

"Baltrice!" Tezzeret gasped. She rolled her eyes in response, throwing her arms around his neck and making it all the more difficult to try and get her to lie down.

"Whaaaat!? It's not like it's going to matter anyway... nothing matters anyway..." She muttered to herself, her expression growing surprisingly solemn. "Nothing..."

"Baltrice, what happened?" Tezzeret asked sternly, but Baltrice only responded with stubborn shakes of her head and unintelligible whining and groaning. "Baltrice, answer me, dammit!"

"You know what we haven't done in a while?" She asked, leaning in and nuzzling her face clumsily against his neck. "Made love... why don't we do it, right here- I know you want to-"

"Baltrice, _no_! You're drunk, and it's late and I'm... _NO_!" Tezzeret groaned, pushing her away. She flopped backward, finally falling onto the couch limply, like a rag doll. "You can't just come in here, drunk out of your gourd in the dead of night and expect me to reciprocate to stuff like that! Do you enjoy testing me like this!? Showing up unannounced all the time, doing all kinds of stunts when we need to be lying low- is this all some kind of joke to you!?"

A soft sound barely managed to climb over Tezzeret's shouting, but it was enough to stop him right in his tracks. Baltrice, hunched over with her hands clutching the side of her head, was crying. Tezzeret stared back at her in shock, witnessing what he figured he'd probably never get to see more than once, and more than probably never even wanted to see. Baltrice sobbed pathetically, curling into a tighter and tighter ball.

"B...Baltrice?" Tezzeret questioned, part of him hoping she was just pulling some sort of prank on him. "Hey... I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to shout, I'm just-" he reached out, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"This... will all be over... soon." Baltrice sniffled, slowly raising her head to look up at Tezzeret, her eyes filled with tears. "I... I don't want to disappear, Tezz... I don't... I don't!"

"...What are you talking about?" Tezzeret asked, baffled, but she only continued to mutter to herself, over and over, the same phrase. "Baltrice, please, answer me!"

"I don't want to lose you, Tezz... I... I love you... I..." Baltrice babbled. "I want to stay... I want to stay here with you..."

"Hush..." Tezzeret sighed as he crouched down and cupped her face in his hands. "I'm not going anywhere, Baltrice, and neither are you. I'm right here, see? No one is disappearing." Baltrice sobbed as she reached up with a quivering hand and rested on top of one of his own. "Everything's going to be okay, alright?"

"Everything's... going to be..." Baltrice parroted, nuzzling into his hands. "Everything..."

"There, that's it..." Tezzeret whispered. "You're okay."

"I love you."

"I know you do, Baltrice."

"I love you..." She reached out and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you, too." Tezzeret allowed himself to be pulled in, no longer resisting.

"I love you..." She leaned in, her lips dangerously close to his as she spoke, the liquor on her breath enough to nearly intoxicate him. "I... I'll _always_ love you."

* * *

Chandra walked out of the bathroom, clad in her pajamas clinging to her still-moist skin, drying off her boyishly short hair with a towel. It was incredibly late, but she had just recently returned to her dorm room after Gideon had dragged her to the diner one last time. Her stomach ached from all of the pie she had allowed herself to eat. She exhaled a satisfied sigh as she turned to the unoccupied bed of her roommate, Kiora. Something told her she wouldn't be arriving anytime soon that night, which she was perfectly alright with for once. Despite the fact that Kiora was absent, Chandra wasn't alone in the dorm room.

"Hey, shower's all yours if you really need to use it." She said, turning to Gideon who had since taken off his shirt and had started to shave with one of her spare razors. He'd started to, but he'd stopped halfway through, thoughtfully looking back at himself in the bathroom mirror. Taking a better look and prying her eyes away from Gideon's physique (a surprisingly hard task, indeed), she could see a place where he'd managed to nick himself, and blood from the tiny wound had managed to flow all the way to his chin undeterred.

"Hey... Gideon?" She called out, getting nothing but silence in response. "Hey! Ground control to space man! It's time to return to the planet now!"

"Huh- wh-... oh, sorry..." Gideon muttered, pulling back the razor and looking for something to clean off his chin.

"Something on your mind?" Chandra chuckled as she reached the box of tissues on the counter before him and handed him the whole box. "Care to share with the class?"

"I-It's nothing." Gideon shook his head as he took a few of the tissues.

"Yeah, no. I've seen you thinking about nothing, and it usually doesn't cause you to go completely unresponsive." Chandra huffed. "We're about to go out and risk our lives, I don't think now is the best time to be keeping silly secrets."

"I just... got to thinking..." Gideon sighed as he wiped with the tissues and drew them away from his face, staring back at the deep red stain smeared on the soft, white surface. "The old Gideon... I've read so much about him in those books down in the library. Legend had it that he was impervious to harm. Swords just bounced right off of him, he could take any kind of blow and walk away as if nothing happened, he could even fall from great heights and just drift to the ground. And here I am... vulnerable."

"Gideon..." Chandra sighed. "Don't you think it's a little too late in the game to start lamenting about that?"

"We were all different people in our past lives, Chandra. We only have a fraction of the power they had and you know it. I'm not saying we should give up- we're in way too deep to even consider dropping out now, it's just..." Gideon muttered, clenching the blood-stained tissue in his hand. "I'm starting to wonder if we're more ill-equipped than we thought."

"...Hey, let's make a bet." Chandra pipped up, walking further into the room and sitting down on her bed. She swung her legs over the edge, looking oddly content despite Gideon's worries. "If we get out of the maze alive, I'll buy you pie- as much pie as you want- let's say for a whole year."

"And what if we don't?" Gideon asked darkly, narrowing his eyes. Chandra sighed and looked down at her feet thoughtfully before ruffling her hair with her towel.

"Then I'll come find you." She finally spoke, her voice taking on a serious tone. "My soul has been crossing time, showing up over and over again looking for you. If the same thing happens again, and we get caught back in that loop... I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to find you."

"Chandra I..." Gideon stammered.

"I'd much rather be your personal first national bank of pie than be forced to go back to looking for you and everyone else." Chandra said with a grin. "So do your best to stay alive out there."

"Well where does all this betting leave you? Either way, it sounds like you get the shit end of the deal." Gideon asked, walking over to the bed and standing before her. Chandra reached out and grasped his hands, pulling him closer to her.

"Well, either way I get to be with you, somehow, one way or another. I don't need anything else."

* * *

If people were forbidden to enter the ruins, well maybe they shouldn't have made it so easy to break in.

Nissa looked about as she walked along what she assumed as an old, dilapidated walkway- that or maybe it was a building that had toppled over at some point. Whatever it was, it was proving to be a much easier path to traverse than the one below, choked by vegetation and covered in chunks of debris that made walking along the ground more of a hassle than it should have been. In normal circumstances, she'd be able to make her way through no problem, stubborn roots and thick, branches bending to her will, but it was dark, and the plants that grew in the ruins, she had come to find, were especially stubborn- as if they knew she was an uninvited guest there.

But other than having to find different ways to go about reaching her destination, Nissa hadn't been stopped or had any trouble with any other kind of sentry. Security became exceedingly lax outside the gates that surrounded the place during the night, and there was probably no one who would want to watch over such a hazardous place once it was dark. So stubborn plants and dilapidated buildings and streets were the extent of her worries- which was perfect. This was a journey she made every once in a while, and she began to think of it as a very sacred one.

Her path eventually led her to what appeared to be an old building with nothing but the rusted remains of it's skeletal framework remaining. The walls and windows that had once accompanied the structure had been replaced by trees and vines with thick, leafy branches poking through the last, crumbling remains, keeping the building somewhat intact. Nissa stopped and closed her eyes, listening to the quiet rustling of the leaves in the calm night wind. The sound was as soothing as it was familiar, and it calmed her as much as it made her heart ache.

"Making the rounds yet again, I see?" Nissa gasped as she spun around, coming to find Avacyn landing behind her, angelic, feathery wings unfurled and allowing her to make a slow, graceful descent.

"Yet again? I take it you've been following me for more than just one night, then?" Nissa asked harshly. "Don't you have other more important things to attend to than to follow other people around?"

"I've simply been making sure you didn't hurt yourself or get caught, that's all. I never intended to reveal myself but..." Avacyn explained. "You've been coming here more and more often, always coming to this building, so now I can't help but be a little curious."

"It's none of your business." Nissa grumbled as she turned away.

"These plants... they only seem to grow around here. No where else in the ruins have I seen such flora, so it's to be assume that, maybe... these plants aren't indigenous to Ravnica." Avacyn continued, looking up at the structure reverently. "Maybe they're something someone brought from... someplace else..."

"Do you have some sort of sick fascination with digging into the personal lives of other people?" Nissa asked sharply, clenching her fists.

"Out of everyone else, I know you the least." Avacyn stated. "That isn't to say I don't trust you- if someone as gentle and kind as Emmara can find the good in you then I have no other choice but to trust you. But the others, we're all schoolmates- one way or another we've gotten to know one another. We've shared things with one another, we've opened up... all except for you."

"So you want to... get to know me?" Nissa questioned cautiously.

"I want to know what makes this place so important to you." Avacyn nodded. "When not at Emmara's side, or doing your job, you're here, just looking up at this building. It has significance, I know, but what kind?"

"..." Nissa sighed, looking down at her feet as if she were ashamed. "Red mangrove, jaddi and bloodbriar... Those are the names of the plants. And, no, they aren't from Ravnica... they're from Zendikar... I know because I brought them here- well, the old me, anyway."

"For what purpose?" Avacyn asked once Nissa grew silent. The elf frowned sharply at those words, turning away from her as he body grew rigid. "...Nissa?"

"Because I was a coward." Nissa spat, each word harsher than the last.

"...What do you mean by that?" Avacyn inquired, cocking her head slightly to the side. "I don't quite follow."

"The old Nissa was given these seeds to plant on another plane- she was entrusted to preserve Zendikar's legacy, a plane doomed to be destroyed by titans. She originally was very adverse to the idea but... with each passing day things became harder and harder." Nissa muttered, pressing a hand against her face. "Eventually it got to the point where... maybe Zendikar was beyond saving. And Jace Beleren's call for action seemed more of a sign than a call to arms. Zendikar was doomed but... there was hope on Ravnica, or so she thought. So Nissa Revane went against her word to protect Zendikar and abandoned it, taking it's legacy with her, as if that made up for what she had decided to do." Nissa's voice began to waver as her shoulders began to quiver furiously.

"And what of Zendikar?"

"How in the hell am I supposed to know!? Nissa Revane never returned after that, and it's been thousands of years since then. Whose to say there's any Zendikar left to save at this point." Nissa cried, wiping at her eyes furiously before looking back up at the building almost completely consumed by vegetation. "I come here to remind myself of the mistakes Nissa Revane made in the past, so that I don't make them again. I'm not going to abandon Ravnica. I'm going to fight until the very end, no matter how bleak things look. If not for this plane... if not for Emmara... than for the legacy of Zendikar the old Nissa Revane left behind here on this plane."

"Maybe, when this is all over, and things turn out in our favor, maybe you'll come to find... maybe things aren't all lost." Avacyn said warmly as she approached Nissa and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe somewhere out there in the multiverse, Zendikar is still standing, and waiting for you to return."

"That's some crazy optimism you have there. Must come with the whole angel territory." Nissa chuckled weakly as she looked further up, up towards the sky spattered with stars. "But... it's a nice thought to have, I guess."

* * *

Ral pondered over a mixture of guild paperwork, final exams study materials and experiment blueprints. He knew before he even left the library that sleep was much too far out of his reach, so the next best thing would be to spend his time wisely. There were a few other guild members present, so he wasn't alone in the guild's makeshift meeting room- a small building just a stones throw away from the campus that had been used as overflow for classes when the school was under construction. The Izzet guild was full of studious insomniacs, and despite being guildleader, Ral was still one of them.

He looked to the gauntlet that Avacyn had given him- the one that had belonged to the original Ral Zarek. He had adjusted the size considerably, and was making the last remaining adjustments so that the entire contraption wasn't connected by a series of clunky tubes. The piece that attached to his arm was lighter and much more easy to maneuver with, the back portion was a lot more comfortable to wear and the piece that hooked to his side was compact enough to fit into his pocket, but produced twice the amount of charge. It had been his pet project, distracting him from the inevitable, even up until the very last moment.

"Guildleader Zarek." A voice spoke up, tearing him from his work. He looked up to find Maree, one of the more respected members of the guild and a year his junior. If the election of the new guildleader hadn't been rigged by way of mind control, she would have been a main contender, and a force to be reckoned with. Aside from Ral himself, Maree had been on very good terms with Niv Mizzet, in a manner of speaking, at least. She also had favor with the guild members in general, having a more social approach to her work with the guild in comparison to Ral, who was more of a "locks himself away from everyone for days" sort of person.

She respected him now- now that he was in a place of power in the guild- but in the past she had never been afraid to go for the throat, especially in Niv Mizzet's presence. It was always a contest to see who would gain the dragon's favor back then. And even though she approached him with a lot more humility, she still looked back at him as if he were her opponent.

"Oh, Maree." Ral said, pushing himself away from his work for a bit as he turned away to yawn. "What is it? Need me to look at something."

"Something like that." The younger girl replied, pushing up her glasses (that had been fitted with a magnifying glass that was now pushed up and hanging over her head almost like a halo). "I and the rest of the guild implore you to take a good long look at the situation you're throwing yourself into."

"Throwing myself into?" Ral repeated. "It's a little less haphazard than that, I promise you."

"It doesn't matter!" Maree snapped as everyone else in the room seemed to jump a bit. They all looked over with curious side glances and very obviously listened in, but no one else chose to speak up and join in with what Maree was saying. "What do you think will happen for moral here if we lose another guildleader so soon after the first!?"

"Look, I'm sure I'm not going to die in the maze." Ral sighed, his brow furrowing a bit.

"You can't say that for certain, though, can you!" Maree accused. "The odds are stacked against you and the others as it is. We've done the math- many times in fact. The chances of your survival are slim, it's hardly worth the risk!"

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence guys, glad to see you all rooting for me." Ral muttered as everyone else in the room looked down nervously.

"This guild was almost destroyed from the inside out when we lost Niv Mizzet. I don't think we'll be able to take another heavy loss." Maree implored. "For the good of the guild, I ask you... we ask you-"

"To abandon my friends and leave them all to possibly die, as well?" Ral finished, leaving Maree's mouth hanging open. "Look, you aren't the only person who's ran those numbers. Do you really not think I've looked at this whole thing forwards and backwards- who the hell do you think I am, really?"

"Then why continue to go forward with this suicide mission!?"

"Because I have hope things are going to work out!" Ral shouted, pounding his fist against the table as he stood out of his chair. "And things like hope and faith aren't subject to numbers and logic... and there's something oddly comforting in them, even if there's no statistics and facts to back any of it up."

"Ral Zarek, please, just listen to me!" Maree groaned. "Sentiment isn't going to save you when your life is on the line."

"Look, I get it, you're worried... not about me, because let's face it, Maree I _know_ you hate me." Maree made a face, but Ral continued. "So if pretty words won't give you piece of mind, maybe this will." He plucked a paper from the stacks he had lying on the desk and placed it before her. It was a relatively short, official looking document, with everything signed accept for one space, presumably for her.

"Wh-what is this?" She gasped as she glanced over the paper. "This... this is..."

"I had Lavinia write this one up for me especially, since there was no actual paperwork that dealt with the unfortunate death of a guildleader." Ral explained. "In the event that I lose my life in the maze tomorrow, your promotion to guildleader will be effective immediately. I've already signed it, and so has Dean Markov. All it needs is your signature, and the stability of the Izzet guild will remain intact no matter what happens to me."

"You... you'd sign the guild over to me?" Maree asked, sounding shocked.

"Yeah, but literally only over my dead body." Ral joked. "Honestly, though, if it had been under different circumstances and Niv Mizzet had been left to chose, he would have chosen you. He actually liked you- he _hated_ me."

"Hmph, while I'm not about to deny my qualifications for running this guild, you are wrong about one thing." Maree noted. "I don't believe Niv Mizzet hated you."

"Oh, really? Where's your facts and figures to support that little bit of information?" Ral snorted, handing her a pen.

"Well, I guess you could say... you're not the only person who considers things based off of illogical things like faith."

* * *

Lavinia held aloft a letter over her head, overhead lights leaking through the thin parchment. It was from smaller collage, one a little closer to home that didn't have as many years of service or graduates to boast about as the bigger schools. It had been a last minute decision, just one out of the crazy grab bag of schools she had applied to. And now, in her hands she finally held it- an acceptance letter.

Strangely enough, though, she couldn't muster the energy to celebrate, or any ounce of excitement, really. All she could do was stare up at it, reading it over again and again until she practically memorized the text.

"I should be happy about this... right?" She asked herself in the empty living room. Avacyn had promised to stop by later, but until then she was alone with her thoughts and her coffee and the letter that she thought she had wanted so very badly. Maybe she just needed someone to celebrate with?

With a sigh she pushed herself off the couch and headed for her front door. It was a stretch, but there was a chance that a certain someone was having just a hard a time sleeping as she was, and for the exact same set of reasons. Not even bothering to slip on her shoes she opened the door-

Only to find someone blocking her way, mere moments from knocking on her door.

"T-Tajic!" She gasped before beginning to laugh to herself. "Looks like we both had about the same idea, huh?"

"Can't sleep either?" He asked with a chuckle of his own.

"Not a wink." Lavinia smiled before stepping out of the way. "Come in, I'll fix us some tea or something." She hurried off to the kitchen as Tajic stepped inside, and suddenly the odd feeling of emptiness that had plagued her was suddenly replaced with a comfortable warmth.

The two of them spoke as Lavinia went about making drinks, but not over anything important. It was clear the two of them were avoiding more serious topics- graduation and the maze especially- but neither of them drew attention to it as they instead talked about how their studies were coming along or books they had read or something strange Ral had done earlier that day. In those moments, as the herbal scent of tea filled the apartment, it was as if nothing was on the horizon for them, and the only important things that mattered were whether Tajic took milk or sugar with his tea.

"Oh! Is that...?" Tajic finally pointed out, picking up the acceptance letter Lavinia had set down on the counter. "Wow, congrats, looks like you finally made it in somewhere! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I would have if I didn't feel so... unexcited about it..." Lavinia admitted as she slid him a mug full of hot tea. "It's so strange... every time I got a rejection letter I was furious, but now that I've gotten accepted somewhere I can't help but feel... underwhelmed about it all."

"Not your school of choice?" Tajic asked.

"Well, it's not my first pick, if that's what you mean, but I don't think that's it." Lavinia sighed, taking the paper from Tajic to stare back at it once again. "I want to care... I should care... But now that it's here I can't bring myself to. Maybe it's because..." Lavinia paused before laughing and shaking her head. "Nevermind, it's nothing."

"Come on, out with it." Tajic urged. "It sounded like you were on the verge of some kind of breakthrough."

"Fine, fine, it sounds really stupid in my head, though." Lavinia caved, walking over so that she was standing right beside him. "Maybe it's because I found people here worth staying for."

"Who, like Avacyn?" Tajic asked teasingly.

"And you." Lavinia added before taking a sip of her tea.

"Yeah, right- wait, wait, hold on! What?" Tajic exclaimed. "What about Avacyn!? Aren't you two seeing each other!?"

"I figured this was going to have to come up eventually, so at least I'm prepared." Lavinia sighed. "I like Avacyn, and I like you just as much. You both mean a lot to me, more than just a couple of friends. I've already brought this up to Avacyn a while ago, and she didn't seem to have an issue with it."

"But-"

"If you have an issue with it, I won't pursue things any further than this. I'm not going to subject you to something you aren't comfortable with, Tajic." She continued. "My only wish is that we can at least remain friends."

"I..."

"...Yes?" Lavinia cocked an eyebrow.

"I... I love you, Lavinia."

Lavinia couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Hearing those words made her heart sore unlike any acceptance letter ever could.

* * *

Avacyn hadn't returned home in ages. It felt almost as if she were breaking into the home of someone else as she walked through the front doors. She told herself over and over she was just there to pick up some clothes, or maybe to see how the house was holding up without her, but she knew everything else was secondary to what- or rather who she was actually looking for- even if there was a chance they wouldn't even be there.

It was still dark outside, yet all of the blinds were closed, drenching the place in darkness. Quietly, Avacyn walked from the entry room into one of the spacious side rooms that branched off from it and opened one of the blinds. Moonlight spilled in through the window, casting a single silvery spotlight across the dark floor. She smiled to herself, looking up at the clear night sky.

"I'm home, father." She said as she turned around, coming to find Sorin standing in the same beam of moonlight, arms crossed but hardly seeming disappointed. Instead he smiled back at her, a single chuckle escaping him.

"You've been quite busy, haven't you?" He asked, forgoing formalities.

"So you've heard?" Avacyn questioned.

"Lavinia has been kind enough to fill me in on the details while you've been staking it out on your own." Sorin explained. "That girl has nothing but praise to say about you, I can't help but wonder if her information is a little biased."

"I'm sorry..." Avacyn spoke up suddenly, bowing her head. "The last time we spoke wasn't... the most favorable. I'm sorry I didn't establish contact sooner. I just... I wanted to find some things out for myself... about myself."

"And how did that go?" He inquired. "Did you find what you were searching for?"

Avacyn looked down at the floor thoughtfully, the things her friends had shared with her crossing her mind one by one, filling her with warmth enough so that she could raise her head and hold it high as she looked back her father with a smile.

"That and more." She replied simply. "I think I finally understand just who it is I am."

"I'm glad to hear it." Sorin smiled back as he approached her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Welcome home, Avacyn."

* * *

Liliana should have figured from the start she wasn't going to get any sleep, but she wound up spending a few event-less hours tossing and turning in her bed anyway. She wanted desperately to escape into the sanctity of sleep, even though she was sure she'd only be greeted by nightmares- anything to escape the anxiety that had only grown now that she was alone. However, much to her displeasure, sleep eluded her, remaining far out of her grasp long enough for her to get frustrated. So, in her frustration, she had thrown on a jacket and took an aimless walk outside.

She mostly lingered around the campus, taking breaks at the football field bleachers to sit and stare into the darkness. The sun couldn't come back up fast enough to relieve her from the seemingly endless night. And even though she felt exhausted and her body felt heavy, she couldn't even consider sleep. Her mind wandered too much too fast, and her thoughts spoke much too loudly. All she could really do was sit on the bleachers after aimlessly wandering around the campus grounds and stare, waiting for the sun to rise.

"...Jace..." She spoke absentmindedly, the name almost feeling alien on her tongue. It had been ages since she had last saw him, and even then, that had been an illusion. They were working to save him, right? So why had it felt like she hadn't actually said his name in years?

"Liliana." Much to her surprise, a voice answered back, and she sat up straight and wildly swung her head about until she found the culprit, standing a few rows below her, giving her an apologetic smile, as if they were sorry for being there.

"Jace!" She gasped as she stood up, heart fluttering wildly in her chest before sinking right back down. "...This isn't another illusion is it? I honestly had my fill of that the first time around, and it obviously didn't work, either."

"No, I swear this time, it's me." Jace laughed. "It's only for a few hours, though. A reward for 'a job well done' or so says Bolas..." He chuckled a little more before growing incredibly melancholy, reaching up to rub nervously at his arm.

"I've already done so many things I regret... and I'm only going to keep doing them, and there's nothing I can do about it, Liliana. I want to say sorry, even though I know it's never going to be enough." He muttered sadly. "I don't want to hurt you... I wish I had a choice, but..."

"We're going to save you, I promise!" Liliana spoke up, raising her voice passionately as she pressed her hands against her chest. She could feel her heart racing a million miles a minute as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I promise you... we're going to save Ravnica, and we're going to save you!"

"Liliana..."

"I don't care what you've done, and I don't care about what you're going to do!" She continued as she began to walk down the steps towards him. He stepped back a few steps himself, but forced himself to stop, looking as if he were bracing himself for some sort of strike. "Because I know the person doing those things isn't you. No matter what it is, I'll forgive you for it... because you've..." She paused, stopping a few steps away from Jace.

" _Do_ you... forgive me?" She asked, her voice quivering.

"Liliana, come on, what kind of question is that?" Jace chuckled.

"Just answer the question!" Liliana snapped. "I want to hear you say it..."

"Liliana..." Jace sighed before looking back at her with a genuine smile. "It was kind of a dick move to keep me in the dark all the time."

"I know, and I'm sorry! I really am! From here on out I'll be nothing but truthful, I swear!" Liliana burst out.

"Jeeze, hold on and let me finish." Jace laughed. "Because despite all that... despite what's happening now... I forgive you. I love you, Liliana. Always have... always will."

Without a word of warning, Liliana surged ahead and threw her arms around him, locking him in an embrace that threatened to knock him over and send the both of them tumbling down the steps. She held him tightly, as if she were attempting to stop him from leaving, her face buried in his shoulder. And, once the shock wore off, Jace embraced her back, one hand pulling her closer to him while the other gently rubbed her back. Her body relaxed against his, all of the tension leaving her body- only to return right back again as she pushed him away, shaking her head.

"No, no, wait, we shouldn't!" She gasped.

"Shouldn't what?" Jace asked, sounding confused.

"I can't let myself grow soft, not before the maze running tomorrow. I'm glad you're here but... I can't let myself give in- not yet." She admitted. "Sorry."

"Ah, well, it's understandable..." Jace sighed as he began to turn to leave. "Best of luck at the maze running tomorrow, Lili-"

"Hey, hold up just a second! Just because I don't want to make out doesn't mean I don't want you around, you nerd!" Liliana scolded as she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "I can't sleep so... why don't you stay up with me? We can talk more at the diner in town over a slice of pie. Just a little bit of normalcy before we're all dragged back into hell, what do you say?"

"That..." Jace paused before grinning back at her. "...That sounds amazing."


	42. The Maze Running

Baltrice awoke to darkness and her head aching. She moaned slightly as she raised her head, only to find that doing so only made the pounding in her skull worse. She gripped at her head and looked about, her eyes adjusting the the darkness. She vaguely remembered a cluster of things- bottles of alcohol, feet hurting from walking, stumbling, crying- and they came to her in chaotic waves between rushes of pain. She sat up completely and drew up her legs, hugging them to her bare body as she looked to her side. There slept Tezzeret, out cold, sleeping as contently as she wished she was. She wanted nothing more than to return- to slip back beneath the sheets and press herself against him, drinking in his warmth that soothed her so. But she knew that was out of the question. In that moment, Baltrice's heart ached more than her head.

"I'm sorry... I wish there was another way..." She whispered as she reached out, delicately running her fingers through his hair. Tezzeret mumbled in his sleep, stirring only slightly but not waking up. "But... I've never been all that good at goodbyes, you know?" She drew her hands away, holding it close against her chest. "Goodbye". That word stung as if it were a dagger being thrust through her chest.

"I wish I could tell you everything. I wish I could tell you why... but... This will be the last time, Tezzeret. I wish I could live in that dream a little longer, where the two of us could leave this world and find a place for ourselves... it was a nice dream, while it lasted..." She muttered, her throat growing hot as her eyes began to sting. "But now I know that a dream was all it ever was going to be... I can't go with you. I never could... Even though I love you so much... want to be with you so much..."

Baltrice choked back a sob and turned her head up to keep her tears from flowing free. They lingered in her eyes, muddling the shapes and shadows she could see in the darkness. She wouldn't cry- not anymore- she had promised herself that. Instead, she rubbed her eyes with her palms and swallowed back sadness as she looked down at Tezzeret one last time. She wanted to remember him like this- peaceful, untroubled, at her side just like he always had been, even if it had been for a short time. She'd loved him enough to last centuries.

"I'm going to give it my all in the maze. I can't share in your dream anymore, but I still want to help you achieve it. I want you to get out of this toxic plane and find where you really belong... where you can be happy. To that end, I'll give my everything, even if I wind up destroying myself. I've made my choice..." She leaned over, lips close to pressing against his forehead, but she gritted her teeth and stopped herself. She couldn't linger there any more than she already had, or else she wouldn't be able to leave at all.

So, with a heavy heart, she tore herself away, sliding away from him and slipping out from under she sheets and off the bed, escaping into the darkness and cold of the room. She picked up her clothes as quietly as she could, redressing herself piece by piece, never once allowing herself to look back at the bed where her beloved was sleeping. She tried to imagine that he wasn't there, and that she was alone. It only helped a little, but nothing could ease the aching in her heart as she slipped on the last of her clothes and paused at the door to the room. She gripped the door frame and bit her lip, squeezing her eyes tightly to keep tears from starting.

"I..." She began, her voice quivering. She refused to look back- back at the life she wanted so much and, in the end, she knew she could never have. She'd only tie him down, as she was, and keep him from what he wanted most. Tezzeret wanted freedom... and she had and would continue to give him everything but. He could never be really, truly hers, as much as she wanted it. He was there only for a moment- a blink of an eye, it felt like. "I don't know... how much of this has been real... how much of this has just been a fabrication... but... but I want to think I really, truly loved you- that the way I feel about you is real. I love you Tezzeret. I love you more than anything- enough to die for you."

She paused as she reached up and clutched at the dog tags she wore. She had grown so accustomed to wearing them around her neck, she would put them on without a second thought, sometimes even forgetting about them. But now, they felt like weights dragging her down into the dark depths of her despair. They had been a gift from Tezzeret, a token from his army days he had given her the night the two of them consummated their love. She ran her fingers over the letters imprinted in the mettle- the name of the man she loved more than she could bear.

"Thank you... for everything, and... I'm sorry..." She mumbled, her words drowning in emotion. "...Goodbye."

"Baltrice!" Tezzeret gasped as be bolted upright. The first rays of sunlight were just barely leaking in though the shades draped over the windows of his bedroom. The room was quiet, save for his breathing, and as he looked beside him, he found she was no longer there. It was a normal thing for Baltrice to get up and leave before he woke up- it was something the both of them did, really, to keep from having people see them walk out of the apartment building or the dorms together. It was routine... and yet something about Baltrice's absence that morning unsettled him.

"Baltrice?" He called as he swiftly got up out of bed and ventured into the living room. Not a soul remained, and the silence still hung in the air that made his stomach turn. He looked in the kitchen, still no one. The bathroom- unoccupied. The guest bedroom- empty. Not a soul aside from him remained in his apartment, but still he called her name. "Baltrice? Bal-!?"

His eyes caught something resting on the coffee table in the living room glinting in the morning sunlight, and the closer he drew near the more his heart sank. There, resting on the table, were the dog tags he had given Baltrice as a memento. Seeing her wearing it had always been some sort of quiet reassurance that her feelings hadn't cooled, and that she still loved him, the same as before. But now they were there, resting on the cold glass surface of the table, the chain neatly curled around the metal tags. He reached down and picked them up, still continuing to look about even though he had been made positive Baltrice was no longer in his apartment.

"Baltrice..." He muttered, holding the dog tags close to his person. It was all very cryptic, and Tezzeret wanted nothing more than to make excuses- maybe she had simply forgotten it on her way out, maybe this was all just some sort of joke and she'd be waiting back at school to laugh in his face, her usual smug grin stretched across her lips- but something about all of this wasn't sitting well with him, paired with the night before and the things he had managed to coax out of her in her near drunken stupor.

"This will be all over soon." He remembered her saying. "I don't want to lose you... I want to stay here with you."

"Baltrice..." Tezzeret murmured. "What is going on...?"

* * *

"I'm not coming out!"

Gideon sighed as Chandra shouted at him from the other side of the door. The day of the maze running was finally upon them- and upon the whole school, it seemed. The whole event had been turned into a spectacle, even if most of the students would only get to see them plunge down into the maze. Classes had been canceled, banners Gideon didn't even know had been made were put up, and people crowded the halls and especially the main entrance, gazing into the pit like curious children, craning their necks and leaning over the makeshift fencing. The whole school had grown unbelievably crowded, and it had taken forever for them to find a place to change- but change into what, exactly?

Gideon looked down at his own outfit as Chandra continued to shout from the other side of the prop closet in the theater room (the only place they seemed to have any privacy). It was a little archaic, to say the least: plated body armor that looked like it had seen battles to last several lifetimes, but still managed to gleam despite the wear and obvious age, along with leather straps and lightly decorated fabric to cover everything else. He'd joked when Avacyn had handed it over to him about whether or not she had robbed a museum, but she simply said they had been things she had been holding onto (and by the look of things, maintaining to quite a degree in her spare time). The whole outfit felt heavy, both in physically and, to some extent, spiritually. This was the armor worn by the original Gideon Jura, after all. The armor he had fought in. The armor he had _died_ in. He appreciated the sentiment as much as it also made him vaguely uncomfortable.

"Come on, Chandra, it can't be that bad." He assured her.

"Oh really, mister knight-in-shining-armor!?" Chandra groaned as the door to the prop closet swung upon suddenly. Gideon barely managed to leap out of the way and catch the door before it swung into the wall. "We look like we're about to go larping!"

Chandra seemed to stagger under the weight of red and worn silver armor and chainmail, which juxtaposed with the crimson cloth wrapped around her waist that revealed a peak of her thighs. The gauntlet Avacyn had given her earlier seemed to be apart of the whole set, blending in with the other metal plating that covered one of Chandra's arms. The only thing that seemed to awkwardly stand out about the outfit were the goggles- the ones that Chandra normally wore- strapped around her forehead. The outfit itself had come with a pair, but Gideon remembered hearing her shouting in frustration from the other side of the door that she could hardly see out of them, as well as the disruption that was probably her throwing it into the clutter of the rest of the props. The thought of Chandra chucking around a thousand-year-old relic made his stomach turn slightly, even if it was just goggles.

"Nonsense, you look fine. I mean, these are a little... on the old side-" Gideon chuckled.

"I think once something is thousands of years old, it stops just being 'on the old side'." Chandra grumbled, pulling at the skirt in attempts to close the gap a little more that revealed her legs.

"B-but it really does suit you. I mean, it is _yours_ after all." He brought up as he looked back down at his own armor. "I guess Avacyn was aiming for a bit of sentimental value... we are about to try and finish what the old Chandra and Gideon and everyone else started. It's a little fitting don't you think."

Chandra made a noise as she looked down at the floor and folded her arms. Gideon couldn't help but catch a look in her eyes- one that wasn't as frustrated as she was making herself seem, and it was clear as the bags under her eyes. After all, Gideon felt it, too- the worry over what would happen in the maze, the fear of failure and the anxiety of it all.

"But I guess fitting may not be quite the right word." He smirked slightly as he reached down and tugged slightly at the chainmail around Chandra's neck. "Since it looks like you still need to grow into yours juuuust a bit."

"What was that, boob cups?" Chandra snarled, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at him. Gideon laughed, running his hands over his armor.

"Yikes, do you really think it looks like-?" He chuckled.

"Oh, good, the two of you are done." The two of them looked to the theater room entrance to find Avacyn walking in on them, wearing a long, flowing black dress with slits up each side, possibly to make moving about in it a little easier. Silvery armor was placed on top of it that was a little more heavy than Chandra's but definitely not as much as Gideon's. It was a look that suited her, just as always, an angel dressed up and down in all black. "They're going to begin the event soon, so we'll be expected to be present when they start sending guilds into the maze."

"What about the others?" Chandra questioned.

"They're already stationed in the maze. The spell they applied to all of us should help them track us down." She explained. "Are the two of you ready?"

"Well, I mean, of course we are but... you know..." Gideon stumbled over his words as him and Chandra shared a knowing look.

"Waking up and going out to go and risk your life isn't something you expect to face at our age." Chandra nodded. "It's too late to back down, and trust me when I say we don't have plans to... It's just a lot to take in."

"Understandable. And as always, I'm eternally grateful the two of you have come this far. It's something I expressed to Chandra a while back, but I never intended to involve the two of you. Nevertheless, you both have my thanks." Avacyn nodded. "However, before we go I have... one last order of business."

"Please don't tell me it's more ridiculous clothes from yester-century." Chandra joked as Avacyn approached them, the skirt of her dress flowing elegantly behind her.

"No, no more clothes- trust me, you'd know with those sorts of outfits if something was missing." Avacyn assured her.

"Funny, since I really feel this whole getup is missing something in the pants department." Chandra spoke under her breath as she, once again, tugged at the skirt.

"There's just something else I need to give you." Avacyn continued.

"Me?" Chandra questioned, pointing up at herself. "You're pretty much given me everything but the kitchen sink so far, I don't think I need anything else."

"It's a precautionary measure. I don't mean to sound rude, and your pyromancy has been coming along quite nicely, but it still needs perfecting, and you know as well as I that there are times where your control is... lacking." Avacyn admitted as she pulled something from off her person and handed it over to Chandra. It was a sword tucked away in a sheath- a simple looking weapon at first glance, but as Chandra reached out and took it, a chill seemed to crawl it's way up her spine. "So I feel it's best I gave you something a little more to defend yourself with."

"I don't know whether to say thanks or to make a quip about your lack of confidence in me." Chandra rolled her eyes as she pulled the weapon out just enough to see the glint of the metal. It, like all of the other relics Avacyn had given them, seemed like she had gone to great lengths to maintain it. "But... if you think it will help."

"It's just something I feel we might need to bring along, so my apologies that I had to find a reason." Avacyn sighed slightly. "What you hold in your hand is the sword that sleighed the Living Guildpact the first time."

Chandra swiftly thrust the sword back into it's sheath as she looked back at Avacyn in shock.

"Are you...?" She muttered, a tremble rushing through her body.

"...You aren't suggesting we might have to _kill_ Jace, are you?" Gideon inquired in a cautious tone.

"We have to prepare for everything." Avacyn admitted bitterly. "Even that."

"No..." Chandra mumbled, memories of the nightmares that plagued her sleeping hours rushing back into her head- Visions of her last moments, her final act before she died being killing someone she had thought of as a friend. Would she be forced to do something like that again? "I can't... I won't kill anyone- especially not Jace!"

"And we will try everything in our power not to!" Avacyn spoke sternly, pushing against Chandra's hands and forcing her to hold the blade closer to her chest. "I'm just saying... it's best to be prepared for everything, even things we don't want to have to do."

"Then you can take the damn sword, I don't want it!" Chandra snapped as she began to thrust the sword back at Avacyn, but Gideon reached out and grasped at her wrist. "H-Hey!"

"I understand you don't want to kill anyone, but Avacyn is right. You might need a little extra something, just in case your pyromancy fails you." Gideon insisted. "I don't like the idea as much as you do, but I also hate the idea of you possibly being defenseless!"

"Uuurgh..." Chandra grumbled to herself before pulling the sword back in a swift jerk and fastening it at her side. "Fine... But if it comes down to _that_ , you can count me out."

"I understand." Avacyn spoke softly. "Is there anything else?"

"Not unless you're counting the overall sense of dread." Chandra muttered.

"Let's not keep them waiting, then." Gideon spoke up as he rested a comforting hand on Chandra's shoulder. "It's show time."

* * *

The air in the room where the maze runners were meant to wait to be announced was incredibly suffocating. All of the other guilds, it seemed, had chosen their guildleaders to run, and plenty of them were faces from the night class. The room had been incredibly quiet for some time, aside from the din of the crowd outside, waiting for the event to officially begin. Gideon cleared his throat, hoping that maybe a good word would clear any of the tension thick enough to have what felt like a physical presence in the room.

"Well... may the best guild win." He tossed out, his words going from full to halfhearted almost instantly.

"Let's not pretend that this is just a silly little school event, shall we?" Teysa brought up sharply. "You know as well as all of us what we're really doing here."

"And who among us is just fighting a losing battle." Vraska added icily, adjusting her sunglasses as the tentacle-like appendages that grew from her head wove about in a hostile fashion. "You would have been a lot better off if you had just surrendered yourself to Bolas, Gideon- you and your little, disgraced girlfriend."

"What did you say?" Chandra growled.

"Now, now, ladies, let's not quarrel." Ashiok stepped between them, hands in their pockets and holding themselves as casually as ever. Smokey hair hung in their face, making it nearly impossible to tell their expression. Chandra, at the very least, eased back a bit before Ashiok stepped threateningly closer to her as they reached out and stroked beneath her chin in such a way that made her skin crawl. "After all, we should be saving it for the maze. Then we'll really be able to have some fun."

"Hey, watch it." Gideon spoke in a surprisingly threatening tone as he forced his own way between Ashiok and Chandra.

"My, what a protective boyfriend you have." Ashiok observed in an almost mocking tone.

"More like overprotective, I'd say." Kiora pipped up, joining in as she, too, slunk forward. "Maybe something happened? But what, I wonder? It must be something neither of them want to talk about- something awful."

"Kiora..." Chandra managed to squeak out, sounding hurt.

"But what could be so awful she wouldn't want to talk about it?" Garruk spoke up as he, too, joined the thrall. "Maybe it has something to do with her absence at the beginning of the year. Her shaved head, maybe?"

"Stop..." Gideon warned, meeting the gaze of the former classmate that dwarfed him in both height and muscle mass.

"Let's not do this here." Avacyn added as she, too, stepped forward, offering up a warning glare. "We mustn't gang up like this."

"Oh, look, everyone, the straight-edge girl with the daddy complex is going to preach to us." Vraska laughed.

"Oh! I think I know what might have happened to poor, defenseless Chandra!" Teysa pipped up, lacing her fingers together menacingly. "The poor girl might have been-"

Teysa suddenly paused- as did everyone else as they went from looking confident to nervous as they turned around with a sizable amount of difficulty. There, nearest the door, was Jace, a single hand held aloft, tendrils of blue mana rising from his fingertips as his eyes glowed a threatening sapphire. He looked back at them with an annoyed frown.

"Do you really think ganging up on them now and childish scare tactics are going to have an effect at this point?" He asked, sounding just as annoyed as he looked. "Stick to what Bolas has asked of you, and not to ganging up on our opponents before the running even starts."

"R-right..." Teysa nodded robotically.

"We acted... out of turn." Vraska agreed.

"Good, then all of you shut up." Jace said coldly as he lowered his hand as all of them flinched, a wave of energy seeming to rush over the room. With a collective shiver they all dispersed- not sparing Gideon, Avacyn or Chandra dirty looks, though.

"Hey, thanks..." Gideon spoke up. Jace looked over his shoulder at him, seeming incredibly bothered. "... for that."

"For what?" Jace questioned. "They were being annoying, that's all. No reason to thank me for shutting up the rabble."

"I-is that so...?" Gideon stammered just as announcement began to be made, followed by a swell of cheers from the crowd outside. The maze running was finally beginning.

"Well, it seems it's finally begun." Jace sighed as he turned his back on the group, whoever was making the announcement calling for the Infinite Consortium's representative to approach the maze. "One last thing, before I go, though. I have a message from Nicol Bolas."

"What does that overgrown lizard want?" Chandra growled.

"This plane is doomed, with or without you. You're all destined to fail, just as you all failed before." Jace spoke plainly, not sparing them a look before he exited the room. Chandra took a step forward, as if to approach him, but Gideon held her back.

"Wait just a minute- hey!" She protested, attempting to pull away.

"If Bolas is even bothering to send us threats like those, it means we _are_ a threat." Avacyn explained cooly. "If we really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, he wouldn't bother."

"That's where you're wrong, daddy's little bitch angel." All three of them looked to the door to find Baltrice standing where Jace had been, looking back at them with a shocking amount of contempt. "That maze might as well be your tomb. And this time, we'll make sure you stay dead." She turned to the door just as the call for Rakdos' representative was made.

"Hey! Hold up!" Chandra shouted, pulling away from Gideon. She took a few, threatening steps, but stopped a ways away from Baltrice. "You... You were there the night of the dance... The night that I was..." She bit her lip, feeling her stomach turn as she recalled that night.

"Oh, yes, the night you were _raped_. I remember it like it was yesterday, good times." Baltrice chuckled, seeming to take great joy in watching as Chandra shuddered. "In all honesty, I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't mean for any of that to happen."

"You... you what?" Chandra gasped before a cruel smile spread across Baltrice's lips.

"I honestly wanted for them to kill you right then and there but I guess we can't all get what we want." She continued with a sickening laugh. "I guess we'll have to continue things in the maze, now won't we?"

"I'll find you!" Chandra shouted angrily. "I'll find you in that damn maze and I'll make you pay for what you put me through!"

"I'll be looking forward to it." Baltrice said in a voice that Chandra could barely hear before she, too, exited the room. Chandra glared at the door, clenching her hands into tight, angry fists as she contemplated possibly bursting right through the doors and taking all of her anger out on the other pyromancer before either of them entered the maze.

"You'll get your chance, just not here." Avacyn spoke as she reached out and grabbed her friend's wrist. She could feel Chandra trembling, and even if she couldn't see her friend's face she knew she was hurting. "Just remember that revenge isn't our main goal here."

"I know that!" Chandra growled as she pulled her hand away, but instead of lunging out towards the door she turned back to her friends, eyes burning with rage. "But don't expect me to hold myself back if we get the chance."

"...We won't." Avacyn sighed. "But when the time comes, what do you plan on doing to her?"

"I..." Chandra paused, looking down at her hands. "I'll..." She clenched them, imagining that she was wringing the cruel girls neck, so tight that she began to even hurt herself- before unclenching them and allowing her arms to fall limply at her sides. "... I don't know."

* * *

The guilds were called out, one by one, the crowd in the room growing thinner until it was just Gideon and Chandra. All the while the two of them remained quiet, hardly even looking at one another. What else was there to say at that point? What could they say to one another that hadn't already been said, or could be said in the maze? A simple "good luck" or "do your best" seemed a little too cavalier, and everything else felt too dark or heavy to bring up so early in the game.

From outside, the call for the Boros representative was made.

"I guess this is it, huh?" Gideon asked, taking a few steps toward the door before stopping. "No going back now?"

"Hey, don't forget what you're in this for!" Chandra finally spoke up. "Don't forget why it is you're running this maze."

"Chandra-"

"You're doing it for a year's worth of me paying for all of your pie, remember!" She continued, a smile on her lips. "That's a lot of pie at stake, remember that!"

Gideon turned around and rushed back to Chandra, pulling her close to him and wrapping her in a tight hug. She gasped and froze up at first, but quickly and just as enthusiastically wrapped her arms around him. The two of them remained like that, desperately wrapped in the others arms, until the call for the Boros representative was made a second time.

"I have to go... I'll meet you in the maze, alright?" Gideon asked.

"Hey, it'll be just like I told you last night." Chandra said with a wide, reassuring grin. "I'll do whatever it takes to find you." Gideon nodded, and Chandra held that grin until he was out the door, leaving her in the room alone. And once she came to embrace the fact she was the last to leave- the last to wrestle with her anxieties about plunging into the maze- her smile faded. She faced the door, the cheers and noise from the other side growing distant until it felt as if she were in complete and utter silence. And that was when her thoughts could get their very loudest.

She could feel the sword at her side, weighing her down even more than her armor was. She couldn't even bring herself to consider killing the girl who had been the ringleader in her being sexually assaulted, the thought of having to hurt or even possibly kill Jace was...

Once again, memories of her past life began to play before her eyes as if she were asleep, having the same old nightmares. She had befriended Jace Beleren back then, too. Maybe it had been a shallow, false sort of relationship forged through being forced to fight alongside one another, but she supposed it could become friendship. And now she felt as if she were right back where she and Jace had met for the last time, bodies of her fallen comrades strewed about at her feet, Gideon's body lying motionless before her. She wondered if, this time, if things played out the same, if she would have the strength to try and avenge her friends again. She wondered if she had the strength to draw out a blade on the person she had once called her friend.

"Excuse me." Chandra's head shot up, looking to see someone peering through the door. "Are you the maze runner for the Izzet League? They've been calling for you for a while."

"O-oh!" Chandra gasped, stumbling towards the door. "Sorry..."

Walking through the crowd and towards the maze entrance as if nothing was wrong was the hardest part. She smiled when people cheered for her, even though she felt as if she were going to vomit. To all of them she was just apart of an event held by the school, nothing more than a spectacle to get them all out of class near the end of the year. They had no idea what was really going on or what was really at stake. Walking up to the mouth of the maze, Chandra really, truly envied them. She wished she didn't know what was waiting for her in the darkness below her. She wished she could be so ignorant.

"Go! Hurry!" Someone frown the crowd shouted.

"Get in there before they get too far ahead of you!" Another called out.

Chandra took in a deep breath. Even if they all thought it was just a big, dumb race, they had a point. With cheers and whoops at her back, she leaped down the stairs and into the darkness. Even as her eyes slowly adjusted, she continued to run. And, as the noise from above grew more and more distant, she began to realize...

She had no idea where she was going.

Fear propelling her forward, Chandra ducked around corners and ran through the long, dark corridors, eyes flicking back and fourth and finding nothing. How could she find the others? Was there a trick? Had they discussed a meeting place and not told her!? Her mind reeled as she ran blindly forward, unsure if she was getting deeper into the maze, or if she was running in circles.

But, then, as she continued her confused sprint into the unknown, she felt someone grasp at her shoulder tightly, pulling her back a bit and stopping her from running. Instinct kicked in almost instantly as she screamed at the top of her lungs and threw a punch at whoever had grabbed her. She felt a surge of satisfaction as she felt her fist collide with the strangers nose. No, wait... with _Gideon's_ nose!?

"OW! _FUCK_!" Gideon cursed as he stumbled back, grasping at his face. Chandra gasped in shock looking between him and Avacyn, who was following close behind.

"Oh gods, Gideon, I'm so sorry!" Chandra cried as she began to try and help, which more or less resulted in her just cupping his face along with him. "Y-You shouldn't have crept up on me like that!"

"Well excuse me if I didn't think your go-to instinct was to _punch_ me!" Gideon groaned in pain.

"Well excuse _me_ if I felt I had to defend myself! And it's not like you called after me or anything! This is your own damn fault!" Chandra shot back, caught between feeling sorry and like she was completely in the right. "You're not even bleeding, you big baby!"

"Wowie, look at Chandra, already on the attack!" A voice called out from behind them. Chandra turned with a growl to find Ral Zarek leading the group of the rest of their friends. "But, hey, whatever does it for you- love the enthusiasm."

It seemed that Avacyn had also been holding onto outfits for the others to wear, as they all seemed to be wearing things from out of a different era. Unlike Chandra, Gideon or Avacyn, Ral wore mostly cloth and leather, in an outfit that was probably designed for be more flashy than it was practical in deep blue and vibrant red. Nissa as well seemed to be wearing something a lot lighter, with an outfit made of leather and fabrics dyed various shades of green and a layered skirt that flowed out behind her along with a cloak. Lavinia and Tajic both wore heavy armor like Gideon, although it was unclear whether their armor was designed to be practical or to just show off what guild they were apart of. Tajic, most of all, seemed to be buried in plates of armor, lagging behind everyone else with a helmet that probably didn't actually fit him tucked under his arm. And Liliana...

"You didn't break his nose, did you!?" She asked, surging to the front. "Why am I not surprised?"

"...Wow, Liliana..." Chandra gasped, her expression going from panicked to a wide sneer as she cocked an eyebrow. "... Didn't know our main course of action was actually to try and seduce Jace back to normal."

Liliana gasped as she folded her arms over her chest. Out of everyone there- out of the ones wearing armor and the one's wearing leather and cloth- she was definitely the one who came wearing the least. Her top did hardly anything to cover her chest and did about the same amount of good in covering her midriff. Even her skirt was designed to show a gratuitous amount of leg, more than enough to make Chandra completely forget about hers. The only thing that was covered in any satisfactory way were her arms, and those were busy trying to cover just about everything else.

"I wanted to wear literally anything else but Avacyn insisted. She says it's a replica, but she assured me it was exactly how Liliana Vess' clothes looked... unfortunately." Liliana muttered, her face as red as a tomato. "Honestly, it took all morning to stop Ral and everyone else from making comments, and now I have to deal with you."

"The original Liliana Vess used seduction as a diversion tactic in battle." Avacyn began to explain.

"A tid-bit I really could have gone my whole life without experiencing first hand!" Liliana huffed. "I mean, at the very least I could have brought along something to cover up with. This entire outfit it just one big problem..."

"Or rather _two big problems_." Chandra corrected teasingly.

"I said the exact same thing." Ral said, stifling a chuckle.

"Alright, we get it, Liliana's outfit is very revealing, get all of your immature chuckles out now so we can move on." Lavinia stepped in. "Gideon, is your nose okay?"

"I-I guess so." Gideon nodded, running a hand over his face while simultaneously trying not to stare at Liliana's outfit. "I don't think it's broken."

"Good. Now, unless there are any other things that need to be pointed out...?" She paused, eyeing each and every one of them with a look that warned them not to actually humor her. Something told Chandra, at least, that she had suffered enough derailing comments that morning about Liliana's outfit and the like to last her a lifetime. "...We can get going."

"How exactly are we going to go about getting through here, anyway?" Ral asked. "You seriously aren't expecting us to just wander around until we find where we need to go, are you?"

"Maybe I can be of assistance?" A voice from farther down the corridor called out. And as everyone looked to see exactly who it was, none of them could really bring themselves to feel grateful that someone had come to help them out- considering who it was, anyway.

"What do you want, Tibalt?" Liliana asked,

"Well, aside from wanting to get a gander at those... interesting outfit choices of yours..." Tibalt snorted a bit before carrying on. "I want the same thing as you: to make sure that Bolas creep doesn't get what he wants."


	43. The Trickster's Favor

"What makes you think we can trust you?" Liliana asked, narrowing her eyes. And, although the others didn't speak, it was clear they all seemed to share the same opinion of Tibalt- some of them looking hostile and all of them looking doubtful. "Baltrice has you on a tight leash, or so I hear. How can we tell you aren't lying?"

"We're at the endgame here, and Baltrice has her own business here in the maze, apparently." Tibalt explained, sounding extremely annoyed as he folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "The moment we all entered the maze, I became a free man. Jace is busy working his way through the maze. Baltrice is busy setting her own traps. Neither of them could care less about me anymore, and while the cat's away, the overworked, humiliated, fed-up mouse will ruin their plans."

"Rat is more like it." Chandra spat under her breath.

"He could be telling the truth." Lavinia spoke up, taking a few strides forward so that she was standing beside Liliana. "He approached me like this once before to beg for mercy. It was a hugely selfish motion, but he did also pass along the information that all of the other maze runners under Bolas' employ are under mind control. It was for his own benefit, but his information wasn't wrong."

"Lavinia, you can't be serious!" Ral gasped. "You really expect us to get help from this..."

"Weasel?" Chandra completed.

"Snake?" Tajic added alongside her.

"Asshole?" Liliana muttered under her breath along with them.

"Gods, tough crowd..." Tibalt laughed nervously. "L-Lavinia, come on. Convince these guys... you believe me, right?" Lavinia drew breath before sighing and shaking her head.

"I know it might be hard to believe, but I'm positive he isn't lying." Lavinia explained.

"But, Lavinia-" Liliana began to protest.

" _I know this_..." Lavinia continued on forcefully, overpowering Liliana's doubtful words. "... Because he's not doing this out of the kindness of his heart. If this were really just a selfless act, he'd be lying for sure. But, even though Baltrice and Jace are busy with their own things, it doesn't mean he might run into them eventually, or anyone else. He wants to use us as bodyguards."

Tibalt attempted an innocent grin, but it came off as nervous at best, immediately giving him away.

"Bodyguards, huh?" Gideon asked, sounding hardly enthusiastic.

"I'd much rather protect a rabid, wild dog." Ral grumbled.

"Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to judge him." Nissa spoke up. "We're in a situation where we really shouldn't be so quick to judge people and overlook help."

"I... I mean, I guess you're right, but..." Tajic uneasily muttered.

"It's kind of weird, hearing that coming from you, miss-elf-master-race." Chandra murmured.

"Look, if I can put away my feelings for humans in order to get through this maze and stop Nicol Bolas, you can set aside your differences and accept help from him." Nissa grumbled. "And even if this is just an elaborate trap, at the very least he'll be getting us somewhere, and maybe to someone who we can... extort information out of."

"Following Tibalt is a little better a plan than what we originally were going to do anyway, I'm afraid to say." Lavinia sighed, sounding almost defeated in admitting such a thing. "Bolas wants all of us dead, so there's a stronger chance Tibalt would lead us to one of the other maze runners instead of just leading us around the maze aimlessly."

"Oh gods, I can't believe I'm saying this but..." Liliana sighed to herself, shaking her head as she rested her hands on her hips. "It'll be in our best interest either way if we accept Tibalt's help."

"Fine, but at the first sign of trouble, I'm not going to hold back." Chandra warned as she looked over to Tibalt, who met her gaze nervously. "If it turns out this whole thing is a trap, you won't have an ass left to sit on, you understand."

"Trust me, I have more than enough reason to go against Bolas than to help that scaly creep or his underlings. I've suffered enough humiliation being Baltrice's little errand boy to last a lifetime. Keeping me fully aware for her own amusement is going to be her biggest downfall." Tibalt muttered, making tight fists with his hands.

"Okay, but something still seems off." Tajic mentioned. "If Baltrice has been keeping you on a short leash until recently, why all of a sudden give you free reign to do whatever you wanted, especially now when it would be most important? Seems a little fishy to me."

"There is just no convincing you people, is there?" Tibalt snapped angrily.

"Well, excuse us if we're being a little careful now that all of Ravnica and the multiverse is at risk." Ral groaned.

"Answer the question, Tibalt." Lavinia urged. "If you really aren't lying to us, you won't have any issue explaining yourself."

"That's the problem, though. The way things went down last I spoke to Baltrice... I mean, it all happened, but even I can look at things objectively and realize they might be hard to believe." Tibalt sighed before clicking his tongue. "Right before we all gathered together before the maze running, I asked her what she wanted me to do. But something seemed really off with that bitch this morning- like she was distracted with something. She sort of just... brushed me off, telling me she didn't care what I did. I was honestly shocked, but I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth and didn't question it."

"Well... you were right about it seeming really unbelievable." Liliana stated, eyeing Tibalt suspiciously.

"Look, I'm telling you guys the truth! And a little protection is a fare price to pay for getting you guys through the maze safely! I scratch your back, you scratch mine, got it!?" Tibalt shouted. "If you don't want my help, fine, but good luck getting to the end of the maze before Jace just picking a direction and running blind! You're really willing to doom this entire plane just because you all have some stupid grudge against me!?

"Look, I understand why you're all pissed at me, but all the students deserve to be in the know just as much as the rest of you- about shady guild activity, or why a star student was expelled, or the death of a guildleader! I'm not the only one who is tired of the guilds functioning like secret societies, so I made it my goal to expose all your dirty little secrets! But none of that is going to matter when Bolas decimates this plane!"

"We'll help you, and allow you to lead us through the maze." Avacyn cut in, a serious look on her face.

"B-but Avacyn-" Chandra began to protest.

"It seems the rest of you are making a decision based off of your own biases. Aside from Nissa, all of your interactions with Tibalt have been less-than-pleasant, am I correct?" She asked. A few of them opened their mouths to respond, but in the end, the rest of the group remained silent.

"Nissa has already spoken her peace, and I agree, it's best we put our differences aside for now and accept Tibalt's help, but we will do so carefully." She continued. "Ral and Chandra will be in charge of guarding him, in case he does wind up trying anything."

"Avacyn... do you really think this is wise?" Liliana asked.

"Either way, he'll be leading us somewhere." Avacyn explained calmly. "I personally don't see anything in Tibalt's behavior that isn't how he normally would act. Until I'm proven wrong, it would seem that Tibalt isn't under any mind control, at least. Bolas doesn't know anything about Tibalt, or so I presume, so he wouldn't have been able to spout off about his passions the way he did if he was under his influence. That and he has plenty of reasons to want to help our cause in the first place, even if they are selfish."

"Ugh... Well, if Avacyn trusts you, I guess we have no choice." Chandra sighed as she positioned herself at Tibalt's side. "But I guess there's incentive for me, since if you are up to no good, I've been given permission to fry your tail off if you try anything."

"Don't expect us to hold back if you do double-cross us." Ral sneered as he joined Chandra and stood at Tibalt's opposite side. "Our only restrictions are that we can't kill you, and trust me, there is a lot we can do and still keep you alive."

"A-Avacyn, do you really think this kind of thing is necessary?" Tibalt asked after audibly gulping.

"If you aren't lying, then you have nothing to fear." She told him simply. "So please, lead the way."

"Erg..." Tibalt grunted, looking nervously between Chandra and Ral who did nothing but grin. "Fine! I have nothing to hide! If we continue down this way, we shouldn't have any trouble!" Tibalt turned up his nose and began surging ahead with a broad stride, but was quickly matched by Ral and Chandra, who remained at either side of him. He let out a defeated noise, but continued walking.

"Do you really think he'll help us?" Liliana asked Avacyn quietly. "How can you be sure this isn't a trap?"

"I'm not." Avacyn responded plainly. "I just... have a little faith, that's all."

* * *

A good while of being lead down darkened corridors and deeper down into the maze, and there had yet to be any problems aside from the chill that hung in the air. Tibalt seemed to know where he was going, for the most part, steering them clear of traps and dead ends. And, all the while, Ral and Chandra grilled him, interrogating him as if he were some kind of suspect for a crime. With each passing question he would look back at the rest of the group, as if silently asking for help, but got no such thing each time.

"I'm just saying, you really shouldn't be very surprised Baltrice had it out for you." Chandra said with a shrug. "I mean, you were the guy who printed that story about her and Mr. Rakdos a while back, right? I'd be pretty pissed, too, if I told you a bunch of private stuff in confidence only to have the whole school find out."

"Look, I didn't do it to screw _her_ over, I was trying to expose Rakdos. I had suspicions that he often had intimate relations with a lot of his students, and Baltrice's confession was the first actual, solid lead that I had." Tibalt sighed. "Until then a lot of people had mocked and outright threatened me for pursuing the story. I wanted to get back at all of them and expose a corrupt part of the guild system so badly I guess... I sort of forgot that Baltrice getting shafted would be collateral."

"And yet you were planning on using her again, from what you told us. Don't tell us it was to expose someone else at her expense again, too..." Ral inquired suspiciously. Once again, Tibalt looked back, as if asking for help, and once again, he got absolutely nothing aside from a few side glances and half-smiles. It was about time that the invasive journalist got heckled for once.

"Yes and no. Once I got banished to the night class along with her, she has found all kinds of little ways to make my life a living hell before all of this. I guess I started intensely investigating her initially to get dirt on her, to get her off my back." Tibalt sighed, sounding exhausted enough to have just ran a marathon. "I found out a decent amount about her relationship with Tezzeret, the metal working professor, and figured my work could stop there but... I started picking up little things about something a lot darker, and wound up eavesdropping on a meeting she held with Bolas. I tried confronting her about it all and, well... obviously, things didn't go very well for me."

"What you should have done was tell the authorities instead of dangling it over that girl's head." Nissa sighed from behind them. "The fact she turned it around on you shouldn't be as surprising as you're treating it. Maybe if you had actually stopped and thought you wouldn't be where you are right now, stupid boy." She muttered the last part, most likely in attempts to try and keep the comment to herself, but the corridor was just quiet enough that her quiet jeer could be heard.

"Hey, I panicked, alright!?" Tibalt snarled. "I didn't expect to get that deep, I originally was just doing it to get Baltrice off my back."

"Well, let this be a lesson to you- maybe next time you'll think before you go around trying to expose people." Chandra teased. "Think about all of the parties involved for once."

"I can't go out of my way to check with every person before I print a story!" Tibalt complained. "If I did that, a lot of what I write wouldn't get out to the students!"

"Well, maybe that's a good thing." Ral suggested. "The world could do with a little less of your 'journalism'."

"What the world could use is a little less manipulative guild activity." Tibalt retorted.

"Oh gods, here he goes again!" Chandra groaned. "We got it the first time, you don't like the-"

"They're just shady little secret societies, acting like a bunch of fun little clubs when they're really a bunch of puppet masters of the student body." Tibalt continued, cutting Chandra off as he turned and looked at the others who looked just as amused with his rant as Chandra was- who appeared to be restraining herself from possibly burning him. "Maybe all this madness is going to fix that, but up until this point, the guilds have been pulling the strings and stirring up nothing but trouble!"

"Look, it's not that I don't agree, but could you please be a little less abrasive about it?" Chandra muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Tibalt asked, gaining a surprising air of annoyance of his own.

"I'm sorry, did I not speak clearly!?" Chandra snapped. "I said you should shut up and just lead us through the maze and stop being so damn annoyi-"

Before she could finish and before a full-blown argument could rise to the surface, a loud clang seemed to echo from somewhere moments before the ground fell out from beneath Chandra, Ral and Tibalt's feet. With the last of her breath she had saved up for chewing Tibalt out, Chandra let out a surprised scream along with the other two as they vanished into the hole. A second later, it was the others turn to shout in surprise and fear as they all rushed to the edge of the hole, shuffling right on the edge, each movement questioning if it would be wise to jump in after them.

"Chandra!" Gideon called down into the black pit right before Avacyn shoved him out of the way and leaped into the newly formed pit herself. "Shit! Chandra!"

"Gideon, calm down!" Liliana shouted over him as she reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder. "All Avacyn has to do is fly down there and grab them, and this trap will be nothing but an incon-" before she could even finish, the hole that had opened up sealed itself shut as quickly as it had formed, another low grumble echoing through the dark corridor. "-venience."

"That... did that just happen?" Lavinia stammered. It had all happened so fast, she and the others were still standing in stunned silence.

"Dammit!" Gideon cursed as he ran to where the opening in the floor had once been, immediately looking for cracks or places to grab to re-open the hole. Frustration was quick to climb as he immediately began to resort to trying to punch right through the floor.

"Gideon, stop!" Liliana protested, running forward and grabbing his fist before he could continue to try what seemed like a futile attempt to punch right through the ground. "Breaking your hand isn't going to accomplish anything but you being over-dramatic!"

"But... But- Chandra!" Gideon shot back. "Chandra... and Ral... and Tibalt!"

"Your angel friend jumped in after them, so at least we can assume they didn't fall to their deaths." Nissa said in a manner that at the very least seemed like she was trying to assure Gideon. "With any luck, they'll find another exit, and we'll meet up with them somewhere else in the maze."

"In the meantime, though, it looks like we're back to our original plan." Tajic sighed, sounding immediately exhausted as Liliana helped Gideon back onto his feet. He looked down at the ground, no shortage of worry in his gaze.

"At least Tibalt pointed us in the right direction." Lavinia threw out, trying her hardest to be optimistic. "We'll just have to pick up the pace a little."

"Well, we're accomplishing nothing by standing around here." Nissa cut to the chase as she began to surge forward, pushing past the others. "The others should be out of harms way, at least. We'll only be wasting time standing around here worrying about them. We need to continue on."

Tajic and Lavinia shared nervous glances before hurrying after Nissa, their armor clicking and clanking with each step. Liliana began to follow suit before she realized that Gideon was staying very-much rooted to where he was, eyes focused on the ground.

"Gideon..." She called out. "We have to keep moving."

"But-" Gideon began to protest as he lifted his head, his gaze full of nothing but worry.

"She'll be fine!" Liliana reassured him forcefully. "She has Avacyn and Ral with her- although I can't imagine Tibalt will be anything more than dead weight. And you may not see it- hell, _she_ might not even see it- but she's stronger than she thinks, even after all she's been through. All you need to do right now is trust in her."

"But what if something _does_ happen?" Gideon asked with panic in his voice. "What if something terrible happens, and... I'm not there to help her... _again_?"

"The only thing we can do at this point is continue running the maze." Liliana sighed. "With any luck, we'll find them before anything bad happens to them. Until then you're just going to have to trust in their ability to make it back to us."

* * *

Chandra cried our in fright as she tumbled through the air. She caught quick glimpses of Ral and Tibalt as she twisted about in the darkness, unsure of which way was up or down- but at least she knew she was falling, which didn't actually make the scene all that comforting. She flailed her arms about wildly, hoping she'd find something to grab onto to catch her fall, but all her fingers found was air whipping past them as the three of them plummeted into the dark abyss.

Feeling hope slipping from her grasp, she let out one final shout of terror as she swung her hand through the air once more, hoping- praying she'd find something. Of course, she wasn't expecting to find a hand. With a sharp gasp, she felt someone tightly clutch her hand and her entire body jerked to one side, and then the other before stopping completely in mid air. The force of having her fall halted sent a shock wave of pain through her arm, but that was nothing to what was possibly waiting for them at the bottom of the dark crevice they had been falling into. She could hear the panicked breathing of both Tibalt and Ral who appeared to have been rescued along with her. But how...?

A single, white feather fluttered by her face, falling gracefully where they had once been, down into the darkness.

"Avacyn!" Chandra exclaimed thankfully, looking up to find their stoic angel companion looking as if she were struggling under the weight of having to lift all three of them. But, as their eyes met, even through her strain she managed a smile. "Thank the gods!"

"I thought we were dead!" Ral added, staring down at the darkness below.

"Not while I'm here, you're not..." Avacyn grunted as she flapped her majestic white wings, carrying them upwards. It was a slow ascent, and Chandra could feel the angel's palms growing sweaty. She had no idea how far they had fallen, but there was no source of light above them, if that was any indication of just how far down they had gone. She immediately craned her neck about, looking around for something, anything...

"Hey, over there!" She shouted to Avacyn, pointing with her freehand to what appeared to be a hole in the wall of rock a fair distance away. Something in her gut told her it was odd, since there were torches placed neatly along the tunnel that were lit, as if to welcome them, but that was hardly as big an issue as Avacyn's obvious struggle was. "You can set us there and take us up one by one. It will be a whole lot easier than carrying all three of us at once."

"R-Right." Avacyn nodded as she changed their course of direction with a flap of her wings. The very moment they reached the mouth of the tunnel, she let out a exhausted groan and let all three of them go, sending them tumbling onto the ground. Not that any of them seemed to mind as they tripped, slipped and fell- solid ground was a lot better than dangling above a seemingly bottomless pit.

"Sorry!" Avacyn gasped, still hovering just outside the cave.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Chandra assured her with a pained laugh as she slowly rose back up to her feet. "Anything is better than falling to our deaths at this point."

"Do you mind waiting here for just a second?" Avacyn asked as she looked up to where they had fallen from. "There's something I need to check up on."

"Um- sure." Ral nodded seconds before Avacyn flapped her beautiful snow-white wings once more and vanished from sight, leaving the three of them in silence- not that the peace lasted very long, as the safety they all felt quickly twisted into anger in Chandra's case. She growled furiously as she turned to Tibalt, who was using the wall beside him to help in rising to his feet. He didn't realize Chandra's anger until it was too late, and she had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and whipped him around forcefully to face her.

"You little rat!" She shrieked, spinning both him and herself around towards the mouth of the tunnel. "'Get us through the maze safely', what a load of horse shit! You led us right into a trap!"

"No, no, wait, it's not what you think!" Tibalt cried desperately, squealing in fright as he felt himself getting leaned back and realizing Chandra was holding him out right over the pit. In desperation he reached up and clung to her arms, struggling to keep his footing. "I-I'm just as surprised as you this happened! Honest!"

"Liar!" Chandra shot back, forcing him to lean back further out towards what could possibly be his doom.

"Chandra, stop!" Ral begged. "He might be telling the truth!"

"Oh, yeah, right, and I might be the queen of all of Ravnica!" Chandra rolled her eyes, furious frown still tugging at her lips. "This was all just a ruse to get us killed, wasn't it!? A shame you didn't lure more of us into your little trap, right? A real shame you didn't factor little-miss-angel-wings into the equation, huh!?"

"I promise, I wasn't leading you guys anywhere but the end of the maze! I'm just as surprised as you are this happened!" Tibalt insisted, clutching at Chandra's arms for dear life. "If this had all been a trap, how come I almost nearly died right along with you guys!? I swear, I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

"Give me one good reason why I should believe you!" Chandra snapped, loosening her grip by just a bit, letting Tibalt slip a few inches more.

"Wait, stop! Stop! Please stop!" Tibalt begged. "Please don't do this! I beg you!"

"My hands are slipping, and I'm not hearing any good reasons to stop!" Chandra practically taunted. "You'd better think of something good- and fast. My hands are getting pretty tired."

"This wasn't a trap, I promise! I- I swear, I'm just as shocked as you we're down here!" Tibalt stammered. "I'm only in this now to get back at Baltrice, how would getting you guys and myself killed help me in all that!? I can still help you guys, so please, please, oh gods, _please pull me back_!"

"Chandra!" Ral shouted over Tibalt's pleas. "Letting Tibalt fall to his death is going to solve exactly zero of our problems. It's only going to make you a murderer!"

With a quick, but angry bellow, Chandra spun around once again, flinging Tibalt back into the cave, who toppled over, but immediately found his footing as he scrambled back farther into the tunnel. Chandra gritted her teeth and drew in a slow, angry breath before venturing back onto the tunnel herself and pointed a threatening finger at Tibalt.

"You'd better feel lucky we agreed not to kill anyone while we were here, or I would have let you fall!" She snapped just as a rush of air blew through the tunnel from behind her. She turned around to find Avacyn landing back with them, retracting her wings in a smooth, elegant display.

"So... what did you find out?" Ral asked, just as confused as anyone that Avacyn wasn't immediately taking them back up to the surface.

"The hole we fell through has sealed itself shut, as I feared. It seems we're going to have to find our way back up the hard way." She sighed, shaking her head. "I didn't see any other possible exits on my way up, so this way might be our safest bet."

"You can't be serious!" Chandra gasped, sounding completely spent as she looked over her shoulder at the tunnel. It seemed to stretch on a fair distance, their path easy to see from the torches along the walls.

"I don't think these things lit themselves." Ral gestured to the flames. "Whoever set that trap up top might be waiting for us down this hall. Can't we look for an exit further down?"

"Going further down might put us further away from our goal." Avacyn retorted. "If it turns out we have to fight sooner than we expected, that's just the price we're going to have to pay. We've trained for this, at least, so we can see it as all that time not going to waste."

"Yeah, _you guys_ have trained. The only training I got was how to be someone's slave lacky." Tibalt muttered. "Sorry if I don't feel very up to risking my hide- are you sure we can't look for another way?"

"Ah, what, is somebody a little chicken?" Chandra mocked.

"If not wanting to risk my life going along with you all in your battle charge makes me chicken, then yes!" Tibalt groaned. "Avacyn, please-"

"If you feel like you're incapable of fending for yourself, you're more than happy to stay right here. I'm sure a search party will be formed to look for stragglers... eventually." She told him plainly as she held her hand aloft and summoned up her spear- wisps of glowing white mana coming to form the solid object in her hand. "Or, you could come along with us and trust for us to protect you- as we promised."

"Avacyn, you can't be serious!" Chandra gasped. "I'm pretty sure that whole thing should be null and void since he led us all into a hole in the ground!"

"We had an agreement, did we not?" Avacyn asked, looking to Tibalt. "In exchange for you getting us through the maze, we will act as your body guards."

"R-right..." Tibalt stammered.

"We've fallen quite a bit behind, and away from our friends. We're going to need someone who can navigate the maze for us yet- at least so we can rejoin with the others." Avacyn explained to both Ral and Chandra, who had their mouths open and ready to protest, before turning back to Tibalt. "Can you still provide the services you promised?"

"I... I think so. Bolas made sure all of the people serving under him- willing or otherwise- could navigate the maze, even me. If you can get me past whoever's obviously waiting for us I'm... pretty sure I can get you guys back to the others." Tibalt nodded. "Just keep in mind I'll be of no help to you if I'm dead..."

"Don't worry, I don't have the title of guardian angel just for show." Avacyn nodded.

"Alright, well, let's get a move on so the little dead-weight can get us back to the others." Chandra grumbled as she headed down the tunnel. "And when we get back to everyone else, we can all decide as a group what to do with his sneaky ass."

"Wh-" Tibalt wheezed, looking to Avacyn who had begin to follow suit after Chandra.

"Sounds fine to me." Avacyn shrugged.

"H-hold on a second now-" Tibalt began to protest.

"Come on, little navigator. You've made your bed, now you get to sleep in it." Ral beckoned. "It's either get what's coming to you, or staying down here for quite some time."

"Oooh..." Tibalt groaned in a combination of nerves and frustration as he ran after the other three. He made sure to trail a few steps behind, however, once he had caught up, looking about as if he expected them to be jumped at any moment.

Chandra looked back at him, not acting but feeling just as nervous. Training under her belt or not, there were so many things that could go wrong in an actual fight- not to mention to diversity of the people they were going up against was nothing to scoff at.

That, and there was the issue of her shoddy pyromancy control. She knew she had it in her- she had seen it, and tried to replicate it several times, but at least half the time all that would result was a little puff of smoke and some embers. She'd be the very opposite of help if it wound up she'd be only able to give their enemies a couple of bad burns here and there. But still, she kept her composure and left the panicking and nervous jumping to Tibalt, and limited herself to sweaty palms and endless, frightened thoughts.

"Up there, it looks like some kind of exit." Avacyn pointed out to an opening at the end of the tunnel that was hardly as well lit as where they were.

"Or another trap." Ral mentioned suspiciously. "We should approach with caution, we can't be too careful."

"R-right..." Chandra nodded, unable to keep herself from stammering as they drew closer and closer to what appeared to be their exit. Part of her hoped that it was just that- and maybe they'd get away without having to do battle with anyone. But there was something foreboding leaking from somewhere up ahead. The cold tunnel had begun to grow warm, and it wasn't just Chandra's imagination. A low rumbling could be heard from somewhere that sent a mild vibration through the walls. They were headed towards something, that was for sure, but the question was... what?

The four of them arrived at the tunnel's exit, coming to find themselves in a large, domed chamber, nothing but a single, stone walkway stretching from one end of the chamber to the other. It seemed simple enough, but there was something unnerving about the quiet- about the heat that filled the room and the rumble that filled their ears.

"Welcome ladies, gentlemen and dirty traitors!" A voice called from the darkness, confirming their worries and sending a chill up Chandra's spine. It was a familiar voice, one that filled her with dread as well as fiery anger. "The Cult of Rakdos welcomes you to tonight's performance!" Rows and rows of torches that had been lining the walls- once unseen in the darkness- sparked to life, filling the entire chamber with a threatening red glow. And now, with the newly formed light, they could all make out the speaker, standing at the other end of the walkway. "It's going to be one hell of a show!"

"Baltrice..." Chandra growled, fury building up inside of her. The opposing pyromancer stood with her head held high, her arms raised in a flourish, as if she were actually attempting to introduce some sort of grand show. But as she lowered her head to gaze back at them, the look in her eyes said otherwise as she sneered widely at them.

"And, with any luck..." She continued, her eyes aglow. " _Your_ last."

 


	44. Fight Fire with Fire

Chandra felt her blood begin to boil as she stared across the walkway at Baltrice, who's grin seemed to grow all the more wider the more Chandra's anger became prevalent. She could still hear it: the mocking laughter of the other pyromancer as she watched the night she had been assaulted. She could still feel the sickening sensation of having her hair shaved off. Her fury burned her in ways her own flames never could.

"And a very special, warm welcome to Miss Nalaar!" Baltrice sneered, extending her arm out with a flourish. "So glad we can continue from where we left off this morning, and where we left off that cold winter's night. I've never been a girl to leave a job unfinished, so I'm glad I can finally finish you off, for completion's sake."

"The only completion you're going to get is getting completely obliterated!" Chandra shot back, voice cracking in her anger. She felt Avacyn try and hold her back- resting a hand on her shoulder- but Chandra harshly shrugged away. "You're going to pay for what you did to me!"

"Really, when all you really had to do was tell someone?" Baltrice snickered, shaking her head in sick delight. "It's not like I kept my presence much of a secret- all you had to do was point a finger and you would have gotten your revenge that way... or maybe you're too ashamed to tell anyone that someone actually violated that prepubescent-looking body of yours? That somebody took the tenacious little spitfire, Chandra Nalaar, and made her their _bitch_."

"Shut up!" Chandra roared with tightly clenched fists. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

"Funny, how you and Tibalt happen to be in the same room together." Baltrice snorted, hardly taken aback by Chandra's furious shouting. "The boy who couldn't keep his mouth shut and the girl just couldn't speak up. And now both your little secrets are going to die here, how absolutely hilarious!"

"D-did she say... die?" Tibalt stammered from behind them.

"We'll see whose laughing after I'm through with you!" Chandra shouted as she ran forward, blind to everything but her rage- especially the chamber that had begun to rumble and shake.

"Chandra! Wait!" Ral shouted, but the moment he did, a tremor surged through the chamber that was enough to force Chandra, in her angry charge, to lose her footing, sending her slipping and falling just before the walkway in front of her collapsed, large chunks of stone falling to the bottom of the massive chamber. Groaning, she picked herself up, attempting to back away from the section of the walkway that was crumbling away, only to turn back just in time to see the way she had come also be reduced to pieces. She looked between Avacyn and the others and Baltrice, who she could barely hear laughing above the growing din. And, just as she wondered just what was causing the awful quake, a mighty hand made of jagged rock and molten lava reached up from the depths and grabbed in to the section of walkway Chandra had been trapped on.

A massive titan made up of rock, blazing flame and oozing lava reared up before her, it's eye's nothing but orbs of red light that gleamed even against the flames that licked up it's body. Chandra stumbled backward, feeling the heat rising from it's hand that took up a massive amount of where she was standing, and nearly falling over the opposite edge as she felt a foot slip. She looked behind her in terror, coming to find that the ground below had been reduced to a blindingly bright pool of bubbling molten rock.

Turning back she felt fear totally grip her as she came to find the titan standing at it's full height, it's head, covered in jagged bits of rock, dragging along the chamber's ceiling and causing large chunks of stone to fall free and tumble into the lake of lava below. A rumble echoed from somewhere before the beast leaned back a bit and let out a mighty roar that seemed to shake the entire chamber and nearly shake Chandra from off her feet. She watched in horror as it lifted the hand that had been resting in front of her into the air, poising itself to strike it back down upon her. It was either brace herself to be totally destroyed by the titan's blow or leap out from the stretch of walkway she was on and out into the pit of boiling lava- neither option seeming at all promising.

"Chandra!" She heard Avacyn call out from somewhere nearby, although her gaze was fixed on the massive hand beginning to swing down in her direction. Relying only on faith and clinging to the hope that what she was about to do wouldn't end up being foolish, Chandra leaped backwards over the edge just in time before the massive, flaming hand destroyed the place she had been standing. For a few, gut-wrenching seconds, Chandra felt nothing but emptiness and the heat rising from the lava below her- no comforting hand to grab her and snag her from a horrible, fiery death. She let out a single, terrified gasp as she began to flail her arms as if hoping she'd somehow generate the miracle of flight.

However, crippling terror soon gave way to relief as she felt someone catch her and sweep her away from the massive creature. She let out a humongous sigh, revealing her former panic to her savior as she felt her pull her close.

"Don't worry, I've got you." Avacyn assured her, having to shout over the noise the monster at their back was making as the two of them returned to where Ral and Tibalt (cowering back inside the tunnel that they had come from, pressed tightly to the wall) were waiting.

"That... was definitely more than enough falling for one day." She panted as Avacyn sat her down.

"Moron, you're lucky you didn't die- just running forward like that without a plan!" Ral scolded. "Speaking of which... yeah, I'm really thinking we might need one right about now." He looked up at the lava titan that seemed to be busy attempting to lay waste to the chamber they were in instead of coming after them- as if it were throwing a fit it had missed it's chance of squishing Chandra like a bug. "Preferably before that thing buries us in rubble!"

"We're going to distract it." Avacyn stated, determination in both her voice and her eyes- but it was certainly determination Ral (and more specifically Tibalt, who let out a shriek of "WHAT?" once Avacyn had spoken) didn't share.

" _Distract it_? As in lure that gigantic thing over this way!? _Towards us_!?" He shot back in disbelief.

"That's the plan." Avacyn nodded.

"Have you considered coming up with something a little better!?" Ral questioned, looking between her and the titan. "Maybe something that sounds a little less suicidal!?"

"We're going to keep it busy while _Chandra_ goes to fight Baltrice." Avacyn specified. "She's the one who summoned that thing, she can be made to _un_ -summon it." She looked to Chandra who stared back at her in surprise.

"Chandra. Just Chandra. _Alone_. _By herself_!" Ral protested, shaking his head in what appeared to be shock.

"This fight with Baltrice is Chandra's, and Chandra's alone." Avacyn explained, speaking to Ral, but looking at Chandra, as if what she was saying was really directed at her. "It seems it's come time for her to finally face her demons. It's our job to make sure she has the ability to do that, everything else is up to her."

"That sounds like you're putting way too much faith in someone who might have to rely on a conventional weapon because she _can't fully control her own powers_!" Ral shot back. "I know we don't have much time to come up with a solid plan, but this one just sounds psychotic from start to finish and I refuse to-"

"I'll do it." Chandra's confident tone, even when spoken, was enough to climb over Ral's shouting, who looked back at her with his mouth completely agape as Avacyn simply smiled. "Just get me over there, and I'll do the rest."

"What about us!? Do you really think we're going to be able to take on mister tall-bright-and-did-I-mention-on-fire!?" Ral questioned, sounding skeptical.

"All I ask is the aid of your storm magic. I'll be able to handle the rest." She assured him, hand outstretched to summon up her spear once more. "I've fought creatures much larger and much more terrifying than this."

"A-And what about... M-me!?" Tibalt shouted from behind him.

"Don't get in the way and try not to die!" Chandra told him before turning to Avacyn.

"Okay..." She sighed before confidently puffing out her chest. "I'm ready!"

"Alright, I'm going to have to ask you to take my hand and trust me." Avacyn commanded, holding out her own hand. Chandra obeyed, taking her hand before giving her a puzzled look.

"Trust you about what?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow, but the angel chose not to answer and instead lifted Chandra into the air, flying them high above the platform they had once been standing. Chandra squirmed in midair, reaching up to take Avacyn's hand in both her hands.

"O-Okay, what now!?" She asked, noticing that the gigantic lava titan was slowly beginning to make it's way towards them. She kicked up her legs anxiously, turning her attention to Avacyn who seemed to be deep in thought. "What are we doing!?"

"Just hold on tight!" Avacyn commanded before beginning to swing Chandra in a wide circle. They spun around, gaining speed, once, twice, three times- and it was then Chandra realized what Avacyn was going to try and attempt to do. She let out a bellow in protest, but could do nothing to move her legs or body out of fear that it would cause Avacyn to drop her.

"H-How good is your aim, exactly!?" She asked, unable to keep the terror from showing in her voice.

"I've been told it's 'passable'!" Avacyn responded, loosening her grip on Chandra's hand just a bit.

"Well..." Chandra gulped. "I guess I have no choice but to deal with that! Fire away!"

She said that, but nothing prepared her for the sensation of Avacyn letting go of her completely and sending her soaring through the air. A scream escaping her, she at first flailed her body, attempting to gain some kind of control while also trying to get a hold of herself- full of panic as she felt as if she were careening out of control. After all, a little bit off and she'd other wind up as a literal fly on the lava titan's shoulder, or run headfirst into a wall and plunge down into the boiling magma below. It wasn't a pleasant thought to be sent off with, as she was sent flying forward.

It was a few seconds that felt as if they lasted hours, but the moment she righted herself, time seemed to speed up as she locked eyes with her target: Baltrice, grinning menacingly and waiting, as if she had expected Avacyn to come up with the plan to send her friend careening through the air. All of Chandra's fear paled in comparison to her rage as she honed in on her target, her anger becoming a wall of flame that swept out in front of her, aimed directly at Baltrice. The force of the magic she summoned was even enough to slow her fall down just a bit, and her gauntlet flared up and smoked intensely.

However, even with all the power behind her attack, Baltrice appeared to be easily able to manipulate Chandra's own flame- forcing the wild inferno to curl around her, hardly doing much aside from sweeping her hair back. And, as Chandra landed ungracefully near her opponent, she hardly had a split second before Baltrice twisted the remains of her own flame back at her like a whip. With a shrill gasp, she narrowly managed to deflect it, but the force of the blow was enough to send her rocketing backward, tumbling back a ways before catching herself. Her feet scraped against the ground as she skidded to a halt and looked up to glare back at Baltrice. She merely looked back at her playfully, hands aglow with flame held casually aloft.

"With all that anger I expected a little more of a challenge." She chuckled. "Can't you feel it? This is the place where mana from this world becomes trapped- the place where your spark is trapped!" Something shifted in Baltrice's demeanor that made Chandra's skin crawl. Her sickening smile remained, but something about the tone of her voice seemed forceful and angry as words were spit out instead of just simply spoken. "Get up and fight, little pyromancer! Show me what you're really made of!"

With a sweep of her arm, she summoned up a wave of fire, knocking Chandra back even further. Attempting to catch herself with her hand, she only felt it slip over the edge she apparently had pushed all the way back to. Not daring to look back behind her at the sheer drop at her back, Chandra cursed to herself. She had to get up and fight, or else she'd be nothing but a smoldering pile of ash- and what kind of sick irony would it be for a pyromancer to be burned to death, anyway?

A forceful roar escaping her, Chandra leaped to her feet. If it was a fight Baltrice wanted, it was a fight she was going to get! A blast of flame escaped her palm, forcing Baltrice to block- and she would keep forcing her. Zig-zagging sporadically to keep from being properly targeted, she released blow after blow, feeling her gauntlet heat up more and more with each blast she released. She just had to get close enough- close enough to where it would be impossible for Baltrice to swat her attacks away, and then she would have her! She heard Baltrice cry out in a mixture of frustration and pain, the flames of Chandra's attacks just barely managing to break through her defenses and sear bits of her face and clothes. She could feel herself growing more and more powerful, drawing into more and more mana that had once lied dormant within the maze. She could feel it, if only a little- or so she imagined. It felt familiar, comforting: her spark.

"BURN IN HELL!" Chandra bellowed triumphantly when she felt she had gotten close enough. With all of her might- her anger, her frustration, her fear, her sadness, her pain, all of it- she summoned up one final attack. However, before she began sweeping her arm up to summon the searing flames of the underworld, she noticed, passed the smoke and fire still lingering in the air, that Baltrice was smiling from ear to ear.

"How adorable." She snickered as she grasped Chandra's arm, keeping her from sweeping her arm all the way through. Chandra gasped, feeling her attack that she had put her all into get completely stifled, taking a bit of her strength away with it. All that remained of her would-be explosion was a warm gust of wind that wildly kicked up bits of rubble and dust. "But you're speaking to a girl who was _forged_ in the flames of hell!"

Before Chandra would even react, Baltrice adjusted her hold on her arm to where she had her hand wrapped firmly around her wrist, keeping her firmly in place, while grasping at her elbow with the other. Then, with one, swift, cruel motion, she raised up her knee while also pressing down her arm with both her hands, the result being her arm smashing against Baltrice's knee. The seconds that passed went by in what felt like freeze-frames to Chandra, as she watched in horror as her gauntlet was brutally smashed, jagged chunks of metal digging into her flesh beneath. And then she heard a snap, as her arm bent in an odd, unnatural fashion. At first she felt nothing, but she knew what was coming, and all she had time to do was gasp before a bolt of agony shot up her arm, reaching all the way up to her shoulder and sending shock waves of pain throughout her entire body. Chandra, unable to do nothing else, screamed.

"Pathetic." Baltrice spat as she kicked Chandra away. Desperately, Chandra cradled her arm as she tumbled backwards, but even that sharply stung, stealing her breath and making her feel nauseous. She lay where she came to a stop, unable to will herself to move as she shivered, raggedly breathing. Her thoughts were clouded, and her vision swam. Through eyes filled with tears, she looked back at Baltrice, who summoned up three beasts, about the size of small bears, all of them made from raging flame with mouths full of jagged teeth that glowed red within their fiery mouths. They brushed up against Baltrice as if they were her pets, but approached Chandra like viscous animals of prey.

"Stay... back..." She weakly rasped, managing to roll over onto her knees and summon a flame with her free hand. The blaze was small, and only managed to push the predators back. She gasped for breath, the small attack taking more out of her than it should have. "Stay... away!"

"Stupid girl, my summons only obey me, and I've only given them one command." Baltrice smirked. "And that is to tear you limb from limb for my amusement! They'll get a taste of your flesh before you get a taste of the blind eternities!" Again with that tone- sounding intensely furious while wearing a smile. It would intrigue Chandra a little more if she wasn't concentrating on the pain rocketing up from her broken arm and the beasts that were, once again, creeping toward her while circling around her from all sides.

Drawing a dry breath, she attempted to summon up another flame, but this time it only resulted in a flare of embers that did absolutely nothing but dance weakly in the air. The pain she felt blocked her connection to the mana-rich air hanging around them. She couldn't concentrate, or feel the familiar warmth of flame that normally so-easily built up inside of her. She couldn't feel the fire, but she could, however, feel the sword still secured faithfully to her side. The weapon she had scoffed about having been given was her last resort. It would have been funny to Chandra if it didn't hurt to laugh.

She struggled to free it from the hilt, but managed after a short bit of difficulty- and just in time, as the beasts began to charge, one by one. With a gasp and a groan and with all the strength she could muster, she swung the sword at the first flame creature with her good hand. The blade sliced through the creatures head, and a burst of magma spewed forth. The creature sizzled, gurgled and spit in agony, toppling to the ground just beside Chandra. She would have reveled in her victory if the second attacker wasn't closing in on her from behind. She gasped in pain as she swept the blade through the air, the second strike hurting her to preform- but even through her agony, the counterattack was just as effective as the first, this time slicing the charging monster in half.

Chandra let out a victory cry, feeling confident, but as she turned, she came to realize she had taken the time that she should have used to attack to gloat, and instead of attacking she was forced to block the blow with the sword and her free arm as claws and blinding flames flashed passed her vision. Her blade was knocked clean from her hands and the claws of the fearsome creature marred the flesh of her arm. Blood splashed out from her wound as she flew backwards, the pain of her new wound just barely climbing over the agonizing sensation still throbbing in her broken arm. And if the injuries to both her arms and the loss of her only other weapon weren't a problem, the ground vanishing from beneath her feet certainly was.

In desperation she reached out with her bleeding arm, blindly searching for something to grab as she felt herself fall over the edge. She felt relief as her fingers located something to hold, but it was small and short lived as her entire arm ached against stopping her fall, her bleeding wound not exactly helped in any way from the strain. She slammed against the rock, a shock wave of pain radiating from her arm that was nearly enough to cause her to let herself go, but even through the pain she held fast, a choked gasp escaping her. With a bit of difficulty she looked upward at the ledge she desperately clung to as blood from her wound dropped down and splashed against her face and oozed down her cheeks. She had managed to stop her fall, but really it was the first step in a process she was nowhere near fit enough to preform. Just the thought of trying to pull herself up with one injured arm was exhausting. From her perspective, she was just delaying the inevitable.

"You know, there's something I guess I've been meaning to apologize for." She heard Baltrice sigh before she slowly wandered into her field of vision. She shook her head in an over-exaggerated fashion, poorly imitating remorse. "Your hair... it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to shave it all off, and it was obviously unnecessary. Of course, hair can always grow back... unlike your hymen." A sick grin stretched across her lips, revealing teeth as she stamped down in Chandra's fingers.

"A-Augh!" Chandra groaned in pain as Baltrice ground her fingers under her boot. But even still, she refused to let go. Even though every inch of her body ached and blood oozed down her arm, she clung to the ledge as if she were clinging to life. She glared up at Baltrice who caught her defiant stare and glared back, her smile twisting into a snarl as she knelt down and craned her neck downward so that Chandra could see the glow of flames burning in her eyes.

"You know, as a little parting gift, how about I tell you what I'm going to do once I finish here with you and the rest of your pathetic friends. Just a little sneak peak into what you'll be missing, being nothing but smoldering ash." Baltrice growled as she reached down and grasped at Chandra's short hair and forced her to lift her head up and back. Chandra hissed in pain, struggling to keep her hold on the ledge as Baltrice pulled her head back.

"I'm going to track down the others, and reduce them to smoldering bones, all except your precious, protective Gideon. He's so special to you, so I'll happily give him _special treatment_ in your memory." She began to describe, a threatening smile on her face now as she chuckled under her breath. "I'll make sure he lives to watch the plane he tried so hard to protect be reduced to a wasteland by Nicol Bolas- I'll slice off his eyelids, so he'll have no choice but to watch everything. He'll have a front row, first class seat to the end of this world, and I'll keep him warm in your absence. I'll roast him slowly, staring with his limbs- burning off his fingers and toes and searing his legs and arms until the meat just slides off the bone like a glove. I'll break his mind and eat away at his body, and with each passing day I will remind him that he wasn't strong enough to save you!"

"No..." Chandra muttered, feeling her body shake as something welled up inside of her. It resembled anger, but it's size and sheer power terrified even her. It silenced all noises around them, and made time around them slow. It was frightening... but familiar, like the embrace of a terrifying monster she knew all too well.

"Hmm? What was that? I couldn't quite hear you..." Baltrice snarled as she tugged harder at Chandra's hair. "Mind repeating that?"

"I said NO!" Chandra shouted, her eyes glowing a bright, burning red as her once short hair bursting into a radiant, brilliant flame. Baltrice gasped as she was forced to let go of Chandra, and in the same instant, Chandra allowed herself to let go of the ledge she had been grasping at for dear life and plummeted towards the lava. But the drop seemed like hardly anything at all, and the magma that awaited her didn't seem all that frightening anymore. It was sweltering heat and blazing flame- just like Chandra felt. Just like Chandra was.

From the lake of molten rock, a geyser of lava gushed forth and blasted into the air. Chandra twisted about in the air and planted her feet at the very top of the spray, as if the eruption was a solid mass that allowed her to rise back up to where she had fallen from, and the remaining distance between her and solid ground was cleared with the help from an explosion of flame summoned at her back. And, as she soared through the air, she felt powerful enough to burst, so overwhelmed by the possibilities of what she could do she feared she would explode, but, at the same time she felt it:

Freedom!

Returning to the platform, she once again was eye-to-eye with Baltrice, although now the other seemed a lot more surprised than before. And, out of all the things she felt were in her power to do, the flames she could call into being or the explosions of mana she could unleash, she chose to instead strike her foe across the face with a tightly balled fist, sending her careening backward. She landed confidently before her, appearing before Baltrice like a goddess of fire with her hair now nothing but a wildly twisting flame, matching pyre licking up her one good arm.

"How... you...?" Baltrice managed to choke out as she staggered to her feet, wiping at blood dripping from her lip and down her chin and smearing it across her cheek.

"Gideon doesn't _need_ to be strong enough to save me- _no one_ needs to be strong enough to save me!" Chandra shot back, pausing as her attention was occupied by the last of Baltrice's summons that had resumed it's charge. With a wave of her hand, she produced an overwhelming blast of fire, not so much killing the creature and instead knocking it over the edge with the blast and leaving it to fall to it's fiery death. "The only one who should be burdened with saving me is _me_!"

"This..." Baltrice muttered, frowning furiously and grinding her teeth. "... This changes nothing! This pretty little light show isn't going to save you! I'm still going to reduce you to ash- I'm still going to reduce all of you into nothingness!" Furiously she summoned flames of her own- wild embers flying and dancing around her chaotically- before she launched herself forward with a wildfire aiding in her charge. Chandra responded in kind, their flames colliding and negating one another in a violently brilliant explosion of fire and heat. The two girls met face to face, staring down one another through the flames- Chandra looking back at Baltrice with a determined stare while Baltrice did nothing but furiously scowl- before the second wave began, and they lost one another in the chaos of bursts of fire and smoke.

Walls of fire collided, streams of magma gushed and spun wildly, and explosions filled the air as the two girls fought, standing on equal ground with one another, neither of them allowing the other's attack to touch them. Tirelessly, they fought on in a dazzlingly dizzy fashion, their battle becoming more of a dance than a wild fight for dominance. And even with her injuries, Chandra matched Baltrice almost perfectly, and it clearly bothered her with how haphazard her attacks began to become, slowly but surely. But only when exhaustion overtook the both of them did they stop, gasping for breath as they stared one another down.

"How... How are you...?" Baltrice gasped between gratuitous gulps of air. "I... I broke your fucking arm, so why...!?"

"You threatened the people most precious to me..." Chandra panted back. "You brought Gideon into this... and you helped in taking something I will never be able to get back... But most of all, you just... _pissed me the hell off_!"

"And I'll be sure... to tell your precious friends and boyfriend all about your valiant efforts as I kill them!" Baltrice shot back as she staggered forward. "I was made to incinerate you! This is my true purpose!"

"Wh... What are you...?" Chandra muttered before a violent tremor shook the entire chamber- the battle happening just beyond them between the massive titan of lava and flame and the others reaching an incredible climax. It was enough to force the two pyromancers to turn their focus to not falling over, which was exceptionally difficult with how exhausted the two of them had become. To make matters entirely worse, a loud crack and crunch echoed from below them and the chunk of walkway that they had been fighting on shifted violently, crumbling away at the edges as the ledge tilted sharply in one direction. Both Chandra and Baltrice were sent sliding down the now steep decline, and while Chandra was able to scrape to a halt, Baltrice tumbled and tripped, crying out in fright as she fall over the edge.

Time seemed to slow Chandra as she watched her enemy vanish over the edge of the crumbling landing, catching the look of true fear in her eyes as she failed to stop herself. A part of her thought, good riddance, and that her work there was done. But the look in Baltrice's eyes tugged at a part of her she had tried to bury when the battle had begun- that she had sworn she had buried. She looked back at Chandra like a person who had a lot more to lose than her life. Chandra cursed at herself thousands of times in that single, drawn-out second, and told herself "no" twice as much as that. Baltrice had _tormented her_! Baltrice had tried to _kill her_! Baltrice was her _enemy_! But in the end, Chandra's resolve wavered before dying completely as she dived after the girl who had, just moments ago, sworn to kill her.

"Baltrice!" She shouted, stretching out her hand and grasping Baltrice's own hand as she managed to barely bring herself to a stop just before she, too, fell to her doom. Doing so put an amazing amount of strain on her injured arm as fresh blood flowed from the wound, but she refused to let go.

"You..." Baltrice looked up at her in shock before narrowing her eyes furiously. "You idiot! Let me go!" She shrieked, flailing about in frustration.

"N-No!" Chandra shot back. "You're going to survive, and you're going to pay for everything you've done! Dying here... like this..." She felt sweat slide down from her forehead down her face, keeping Baltrice from falling with one arm paired with her level of exhaustion not doing her any favors. "I thought I could let it happen but I can't! You can't die here, not like this, not this young! I... I won't let you!"

"Dumbass!" Baltrice snarled. "Dying here doesn't mean the end for me, it never has! You don't know anything, acting like your so benevolent because you don't want me to die young! You know _nothing_!"

"I know enough to know that I can't let someone else die like this! Even people like you are worth saving!" Chandra cried out, slowly attempting to bring Baltrice back up to the tilted platform. "I saw it in your eyes, the remorse... the fear... There's some good in you and I refuse to let that die!" Chandra expected a lot of things, but out of all of them is was a genuine surprise to hear Baltrice cackle, as if she had just told the funniest of jokes.

"Oh, so that's it!? You think I'm worth saving!? That is probably the most hilarious thing I have ever heard!" She laughed before shaking her head. "That just proves just now stupid and naive you are- this world has made you soft! So let me leave you with a genuine piece of knowledge that's going to serve you well going forward..." With a growl, she reached up with her second hand and grasped on to Chandra's wrist, dragging her down further so that half her body dangled over the edge. She struggled to keep herself from falling as Baltrice pulled herself up, as if Chandra's arm was a rope to climb, bringing them face to face. Chandra gasped, more than a little disheartened that, if her other arm wasn't in such an unusable state, she would have been able to pull Baltrice up, back onto the platform.

"Even if you have such a noble goal- to stop Jace, to stop Nicol Bolas and to free the mana and the sparks trapped inside this maze- it's not going to come without consequences!" Baltrice hissed, her entire body quivering in either strain or fury- for Chandra is was impossible to tell. "Once you undo everything, this plane will be visible to the multiverse again! Planeswalkers like you that have been trapped here will be able to leave and visit other worlds, and Ravnica will be a mana-rich plane once again, and I'm sure a goody-two-shoes like you hasn't looked passed all that, but let me tell you... there are horrors out there in the multiverse. Nicol Bolas isn't the only thing out there that has ill will- far from it! And once Ravnica suddenly shows up in the multiverse, a plane that has been missing for thousands of years, you better believe it will get their attention! And then, poor you, little-miss-can't-just-take-a-life, you'll have to kill a lot more than just a single person like me! If you don't, everyone around you will suffer!"

"I'm not letting you go!" Chandra shouted angrily, shaking her head. "I've come too far to just give up now!"

"Well, then, let me give you a little crash course on following through and actually taking a life!" Baltrice snarled, pulling herself up a little more before muttering something that just barely met Chandra's ears- like an intimate secret between the two of them.

"Tell Tezzeret I'm sorry."

"W-what-?"

Before Chandra could say anything more Baltrice threw her head back, only to surge forward with all of her might to slam her head against Chandra's. Stars formed in Chandra's vision for a brief moment, the surprise of the blow causing her to loosen her grip for only a second- but it was just long enough. She flailed her arm outwards, attempting to narrowly catch Baltrice, but she found nothing but air passing through her fingers as she watched in horror as Baltrice's body vanished into the smoldering magma below.

"NO!" Chandra cried out, hand still stretched uselessly over the edge. Furiously, she balled her hand into a fist and pounded it against the stone of the platform. "Dammit!"

"Chandra!" She heard someone call her name above the violent rumbling that filled the chamber. She looked up to find Avacyn- Ral and Tibalt clinging to her- flying toward her with her arm outstretched. At their back, the gigantic lava titan began to lose shape, staggering where it stood as is slowly began to disintegrate. They had won- by some miracle they had survived... but the victory didn't feel very much like something to celebrate over, at least for Chandra. Something about it felt empty and undeserved. She looked down at her hand that she had once used to try and save Baltrice's life in contemplation before reaching out to take Avacyn's, allowing herself to be flown to safety.

* * *

"Yikes! She really did a number on you!" Ral commented once Avacyn had urged her to sit down so she could look at her arm. Chandra hadn't taken much time to examine her injury herself- instead choosing to keep it pressed close to her body to keep it from getting injured any further, but now she could see blood steadily dripping from where Baltrice had cracked her gauntlet, at least. The way her arm was bent was hardly a pretty sight, and Chandra had to look away- seconds before Avacyn took her arm firmly in both hands and snapped it back into place. She gasped before crying out in pain, fighting back the urge to vomit, but not the urge to curse wildly.

"Sorry, sorry, I won't be able to properly heal you with your arm snapped out of place like that." Avacyn apologized as Chandra cried, hands glowing a soft white as she rested them on her arm. "The worst of it is out of the way, I promise."

The four of them rested near the opposite entrance to the chamber, the tunnel they were in lit up by the fire and lava still burning brightly from where they had come, but just beyond was nothing but darkness. Chandra's hair had returned to how it originally had been, and the fire that had been welling up inside of her had vanished, but there was still a pull from somewhere deep inside her soul, confirming at least that the flame that had burst to life hadn't died out- it was just resting, leaving Chandra feeling spent.

Ral, who had been making exaggeratedly disgusted faces and sounds at Chandra's injuries, had taken a seat next to her while Tibalt sat further down the tunnel away from all of them, his legs drawn up and his head rested on his knees. He hadn't spoken a word since they got out of the chamber, just stumbled a ways away and sat down. None of them had asked about Baltrice at all, and for that Chandra was thankful.

She looked away from Avacyn as she healed her arm and back out towards the chamber, unable to shake the heavy feeling in her heart. She could still feel the sensation of Baltrice's hand slipping out of her own, and could still hear her last words repeating, over and over again, in her head. "Tell Tezzeret I'm sorry". Sorry for what!?

"Hey... we..." Chandra began to say, immediately feeling a warm lump begin to grow in her throat. She kept her gaze focused on the glow of the chamber behind them, refusing to look at her comrades. "We... we won, right?"

"What kind of question is that- of course we did!" Ral chuckled. "I mean, we got out of there alive, didn't we?"

"...Yeah, I guess we did, huh? So we did win?" Chandra questioned, her voice wavering as she looked down at her free hand, curling and uncurling her fingers that ached, as if from overuse. "Then I should be happy, right? I should be happy she's dead, after everything she did... She deserved it... right? The fact she's dead... it's a good thing, right?"

"Ch... Chandra?" Avacyn stammered as her friend shook her head wildly. She was fighting to hold back tears, and beginning to lose the battle.

"Why am I not happy, guys?" She asked, looking back to Avacyn and Ral. "If we won- if I hated her so much- then why...?"

Avacyn and Ral looked between one another, mouths agape, but had no words to offer up as they turned back to their distraught friend nervously. Chandra looked down at her once broken arm, coming to find it healed with Avacyn's hands just uselessly hovering over it now. She pulled away from her and stood unsteadily to her feet, wrapping her arms around herself. How could she expect her friends to understand if she couldn't understand it herself? Drifting to the mouth of the tunnel, she shivered, feeling cold despite the intense heat drifting from the chamber.

" _Tell Tezzeret I'm sorry."_ She had said the words in such a sad tone, as if she had been holding back tears.

"Chandra... is everything alright?" Avacyn asked, sounding horribly worried. Chandra looked out at the lake of boiling lava once more before wiping her eyes furiously.

If that had been Baltrice's final wish, she would fulfill it.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She assured her friends with a grin as she turned back around. "Forget what I said, it was nothing!"

"A-Are you sure...?" Ral asked, sounding unconvinced as Chandra surged forward and passed them, pausing by Tibalt to bop him on the head and tell him they were heading out. He looked up at her with an exhausted, pleading look, but with her hands on her hips, she gave him a glare strong enough to force him to stand at attention.

"Yeah, I'm fine, trust me." She chuckled, assuring him while also assuring herself. "Now, let's get moving before the others get themselves into a mess they can't get out of themselves. Gideon's probably worried absolutely sick, anyway, and I don't want to keep him waiting."


	45. The Dragon's Keep

Something didn't seem right.

Liliana looked to Gideon, Lavinia and Tajic who had all strayed ahead, unable to shake the feeling something was... strange. A short while before, Lavinia and Tajic had been arguing about what direction to take quietly, as if they were trying to keep everyone else from listening in. But Lavinia's wild hand gestures and Tajic's sighing and head-shaking had given that away, even if they had succeeded in having a quiet argument. A short while ago, Gideon was nervously checking behind them every couple of minutes, as if he expected Chandra and the others to run up from behind them- like they were simply catching up. And every once in a while, he'd attempt to casually toss out that he was curious about how the others were holding up, when really he was just worried about Chandra. A short while ago, the three ahead of Liliana and Nissa had been abuzz with activity. And now... silence. Eyes facing forward, mouths tightly shut, calmly walking and not doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Nissa..." Liliana whispered, waiting for the elf to look her way in acknowledgment. "Do the others... do they seem- I don't know- odd to you?" Nissa cocked an eyebrow at first, leading Liliana to believe she was just being paranoid, but then she looked forward towards the others and narrowed her eyes.

"They do seem a bit quiet, now that you mention it. Not that I was complaining, I was starting to enjoy the peace." She shrugged.

"Nissa!" Liliana scolded.

"I'm only joking, goodness..." Nissa scoffed. "The silence does seem odd to me. I figured they'd finally started getting serious, but this seems... out of character."

"Then what do you propose we do, then?" Liliana sighed, slumping her shoulders. Even if Nissa was attempting to be sarcastic, she was hard to read regardless.

"Well..." Nissa paused thoughtfully before she got an almost mischievous gleam in her eye as she stared at the others quietly leading the way. "I guess the only way to see for sure is to take a closer look ourselves!" She concluded as she picked up the pace, rushing over to Gideon.

"Wait, Nissa!" Liliana gasped, but the split second after Nissa grasped at Gideon's shoulder, the two of them found themselves in a much different area of the maze, their surroundings changing in a disorienting fashion and leaving them stumbling in place. Nissa shook her head vigorously with her hand still outstretched to where Gideon had once been, giving her eyes a few good blinks before joining Liliana in looking frantically around.

"What... just happened here?" She asked hesitantly. "Where did the others go- they were just here!"

"Or maybe they weren't..." Liliana muttered, looking back the way they had come- apparently. Their surroundings were much more dark and damp, and the chill in the air seemed to be provided by the eerie feeling hanging about them rather than the temperature. "We could have been wandering alone without them for a while now."

"So this entire time, we've only been following illusions!?" Nissa shouted, her voice taking on a furious tone.

"Hey, don't get pissy with me- you fell for them, too, you know!" Liliana shot back, pacing back and forth a few times before groaning to herself. She couldn't even tell from which direction they had come. What frustrated her more was that she had noticed something was off a while back and hadn't acted on it- but she refused to stress these specific frustration's to Nissa. Getting the elven woman angry with her wasn't going to help things. "... Do you think Jace did this?"

"No... this is a sort of thing a mage like Jace would specialize in, but..." Nissa shook her head as a hiss passed by them like a wind- quiet-but-harsh-sounding whispers that drifted down the corridor, leaving the two of them to shiver for a moment. "This seems a lot more sinister. There's dark intentions in the air here, I can feel it."

"Dark intentions, huh?" Liliana mused as she wrapped her arms around herself, looking back at the dark void that awaited them down the corridor. "If you mean to say it might have been Bolas- trust me, I know Bolas, and this is definitely not his work. He'd want to do a lot more than just separate us for... whatever reason..."

"You don't think...?" Nissa muttered to herself before trailing off.

"Think _what_?" Liliana questioned in a demanding tone.

"Someone is trying to employ some kind of 'divide and conquer' tactic against us?" Nissa repeated herself, much louder this time. "I mean, Chandra and Ral are capable enough to handle themselves- even with that little troll of a boy, Tibalt- but they took Avacyn with them, one of the leader figures of the rag-tag team we managed to get together. And now this: just the two of us being separated from the others. And it's not that I don't doubt your own powers, it's simply that necromancy and elemental magic doesn't normally mesh very well. But... that just leaves..."

"Tajic... Lavinia... and Gideon..." Liliana listed off, slowly coming to grips with what Nissa was getting at. "A team of jocks who specialize in melee combat..."

"I trained alongside them- I know they have their own skills in using magic, but for the most part all three of them are more geared for hand-to-hand combat- which is fine, in a group of other mages who specialize in a diverse set of magics, but when it's just the three of them alone..." Nissa nervously paused, noticing the worried look in Liliana's eyes as she turned to look behind them.

"They're just a bunch of sitting ducks..." Liliana finished darkly. "It will be like leading a bunch of cows to the slaughter for any of Bolas' minions."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Nissa sighed apologetically. "We should have more faith in them... I-I'm sure they'll be fine."

"...But do you really think that?" Liliana questioned, eyeing her suspiciously.

Nissa could only offer up silence.

* * *

Something didn't seem right.

Gideon stopped in his tracks, feeling a shudder crawl up his spine. Lavinia and Tajic continued to walk on ahead, and their footsteps could be heard echoing through the quiet hallway above their tiny, frustrated, private whispers to one another, but the air behind them was... dead silence. Not just an absence of Nissa and Liliana speaking, but an absence of pretty much anything. Nerves kept him from turning around, but eventually, Tajic and Lavinia noticed their friend had come to a stop, and the shocked and confused looks on their faces as they turned around said it all.

"Gideon...?" Lavinia gasped, her brow furrowing. "...Where are Nissa and Liliana?"

He slowly turned around to confirm, as if to check that all of this wasn't just one big- and not to mention ill-timed- practical joke made at his expense, but alas, he came only to find emptiness and the darkness of the tunnel at their backs.

"I... I could have sworn they were behind me!" Gideon insisted, looking about as if there was anywhere in the narrow stone hallway where the two missing members of their party could have hid. "I mean, they were there the last time I checked!"

"And how long ago was that!?" Tajic asked frantically.

"I don't know... a few... minutes? Maybe!?" Gideon guessed, unable to remember just when exactly he'd looked back at Liliana and Nissa last- but it certainly hadn't been that long ago, and it wasn't like they could have fallen so far behind as to lose them.

"Well, we need to go back the way we came and find them!" Lavinia insisted. "We can't just keep splitting up into smaller and smaller groups like this!" Surging passed Tajic and Gideon, she strode back the way they had come, a frown of frustration tugging harshly at her lips.

"Hold on, Lavinia!" Gideon insisted. "Do you really think we have time to backtrack?"

"We have all the time in the world if it means finding those two stragglers!" Lavinia bellowed before stopping in her tracks mid-step. Tajic and Gideon both felt an unsettling chill settle into the air around them, unintelligible whispers washing over them and sending shivers up their spine. But clearly, Lavinia felt- or maybe even saw- something much more as she gasped and took several ungraceful steps backward towards the other two as she gripped at her skull and shook her head. She let out a moan, as if she were resisting some sort of attack, stumbling back all the more until Tajic caught her in his arms. She jumped, yet another gasp escaping her as she shuddered and whipped around to face him.

"Tajic!?" She exclaimed, as if she hadn't even expected him to be there.

"What just happened?" He asked her, his voice overflowing with concern. "You look like you saw a ghost!"

"I... I saw it..." She muttered, sliding her hand that had been clutching at her hair down her forehead and over her eyes. "I saw my nightmare... I saw it... just now..."

"You mean the one where we all...?" Tajic vaguely asked, not daring to torment Lavinia any further. She merely gulped and nodded, peering down the dark corridor as if it were some sort of fearsome enemy.

"Seems someone doesn't want us heading back the way we came." Gideon sighed, nervously hoping that Tajic wouldn't suggest they continue to test what he had said. The nightmares he had were enough when he was asleep, having them in his waking hours didn't seem at all pleasant. "I guess our only option is to keep moving forward and hope they'll be able to find us."

"But if someone wants us to keep moving forward..." Tajic brought up waveringly as he turned to look at the rout they had been headed. "I can't imagine what's waiting for us down that way is going to be very hospitable."

"Stuck between a rock and a hard place..." Lavinia mused weakly as she pushed away from Tajic and found strength to shakily stand on her own two feet. "We either have to battle our inner demons, or battle an actual one."

"Don't like the sound of either of those." Gideon chuckled weakly. "But we're going to have to make a decision- sooner rather than later. Not only do we have to get to the end of the maze to get to Jace, but now we also have to find everyone else- or they have to find us."

"Urg..." Lavinia groaned, biting at her lip, taking a tentative step back toward the direction they had come before taking it right back. "...Liliana and Nissa are probably two of the most skilled out of our party- at the very least, we can be at ease knowing they'll be fine by themselves. We're just going to have to go it alone and hope we run into the others before we run into anyone else."

"But, you have to wonder..." Tajic mentioned, looking at the darkness suspiciously. "Who's the one keeping us from going back. If they could get inside your head like that... could it have been Jace?"

"It's a possibility but..." Lavinia paused, rubbing at one of her arms as she looked at the ground. "I felt a presence... and it's one I swear I've felt before... Something familiar. It could be Jace, if that's the case, but my gut is telling me it was... something else."

* * *

It wasn't long before the three of them wandered out of the long, dark corridor and into a dilapidated-looking chamber. It seemed that one time, there had been a series of structures at one point, many years ago. Stone bridges that had once stretched across above them, connecting other tunnels that lined the walls and remains of old statues, their once proud forms hardly anything but eroded shapes, littered the ground. A light source cast from the corroded ceiling above filled the room with an eerie glow- enough to light their way while also succeeding in making their surroundings all the more unsettling and cast long, intimidating shadows across the floor. Among the rubble, they could see a series of different tunnels, none of them standing out as being the right path to choose.

"What now?" Lavinia asked, turning to both Gideon and Tajic. "There's no way to tell which way to go."

"Or we could just try climbing right out of here." Tajic joked, motioning up towards the ceiling and earning nothing but a smack on the arm from Lavinia.

"I guess we're just going to have to pick a direction and stick with it." Gideon shrugged.

"Not much of a plan..." Lavinia muttered, folding her arms in disappointment.

"Yeah, but 'not much of a plan' is all we've got." Tajic sighed. "We lost our guide a while back, we're going to have to settle with 'not much of a plan' if we want to progress at all at this point."

"Unfortunately for the three of you, it seems you won't even have that available to you." A deep, growling voice spoke from behind them. All three of them spun around, coming to find Sarkhan Vol standing almost menacingly in one of the pillars of light that stretched down from the ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" Gideon dared to ask. "The Infinite Consortium already has a maze runner, so why-?" He took a step forward, only to have Lavinia hold out her hand and block his path with her arm.

"Be careful, Gideon, he's one of Bolas' goons, too, after all." She growled, eyeing Sarkhan with a cautious glare.

"Hmph, you really have the gall to ask what _I'm_ doing here when I clearly remember only _one_ of you officially entering the maze?" Sarkhan smirked. "Seems the lot of you could benefit greatly from a good bit of... discipline."

"Big words for a guy going up one against three." Tajic narrowed his eyes as he spoke, but Sarkhan hardly seemed at all deterred by them- in fact, he merely laughed heartily in response, his cackling filling the chamber. "W-What's so funny!?"

"The fact you think that you can win with only three of you. Even if you _weren't_ a bunch of children, still wet behind the ears in terms of using your magic in combat, you wouldn't stand a chance." Sarkhan sneered. "Your sad attempt to stop us ends here, and your charred remains will remain here in this maze until Ravnica is reduced to nothing but ash."

"S-Sounds like a bunch of hot air to me." Lavinia shot back, removing a sword she had attached to her belt from it's hilt, the metallic blade shining even in the dim light.

"Goodness, I figured you'd at least be a little bit smarter than the rest of the rabble you're stuck with, Lavinia." Sarkhan chuckled. "Do you really think Bolas' right hand man would be just all talk? Do you really think he'd ever think of adding a pushover into his ranks? The lucky few who are chosen to stand alongside him in his conquest are certainly more than just talk- and the ones closest to him even more than that. And what better person to stand at the side of a dragon... than a dragon."

"A _what_!?" Gideon gasped before a burst of smoke, blinding wind and burning flame knocked them back. They could hear Sarkhan Vol's laughter, but they couldn't see him through the haze of smoke and fire- that is, until something massive rose out of the thick veil of smog, looming over them and blotting out the light from above. And with a mighty roar, the cloud that had been Sarkhan's shroud was blown away, leaving behind only what he had become before their very eyes, and revealing himself to be no liar. The right hand man of Bolas himself truly was, in fact, a dragon.

He stood intimidatingly before them at a height that forced them to crane their necks all the way back to take in his entire form. On his head, down his long neck and along his back and tail, jagged scales and spikes rose up- as well as on his shoulders and legs- adding to his menacing new form. Huge, leathery wings stretched from one side of the chamber to the other, scraping against the walls and sending more rubble crashing down to the ground while his tale whipped about to knock about what was already at his massive, feet. With one of his clawed hands easily just as big as any of them, he swiped at the wall just above them, forcing them to dodge away from them and closer to the towering monster.

"Shit!" Lavinia gasped, looking up just in time to watch as the dragon opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth and a bright orange glow building up in the back of his throat. She didn't have much time to tell the others, only to shout, "RUN!" pushing herself backward before a blistering hot pillar of fire touched down where they had been forced to run. She could barely make out Gideon and Tajic getting out of the way of the blast themselves- much to her relief, even though the three of them were now far away from one another. She didn't have much time to try and get back to them, or to even regret her decision, as she was forced to dive behind a larger piece of rubble to avoid getting fried.

"A dragon! Of all the things, why did it have to be a dragon!?" She muttered to herself, wiping sweat from her brow as she looked down at her sword. She'd been fed so many tales about heroes slaying dragons and monsters and saving entire kingdoms with nothing but a sword and shield, but now that she was in that hero's shoes she couldn't help but feel grossly under-prepared. She closed her eyes, attempting to get a hold of her breathing once she realized she was panting.

"I just need to get back to the others." She told herself, looking down at her reflection in her sword. "We aren't going to get anywhere unless we plan something together-"

Almost as if to spite her, she heard the dragon just behind the pile of rubble let out a fearsome shriek, and the her comrades bellow some kind of desperate war cry. If they hadn't been in such a dire situation, she would have rolled her eyes, but instead, Lavinia ran out from behind her hiding place just in time to see Gideon leap from a pile of dilapidated walkway and, somehow, wrap the silvery strips of his sural around the dragons neck, forcing him to lower his head. For a split second, Lavinia found herself impressed, noticing Tajic dashing over from the side with his own massive blade drawn, but a split second was as long as Gideon could hold Sarkhan down for, and with a tug of his neck, he was sent soaring through the air, the strips of his sural loosening as he soared through the air and collided with Tajic. And once they were out of the way, the dragon set his eyes on Lavinia.

She felt as if the ground vanished from below her feet as she stared back, like a dear caught in the headlights, and Sarkhan's spiked shoulders shook and a low growl echoed from his mouth, as if he were laughing at her. Surely she was amusing to him, standing alone before him, with nothing but a sword.

_No... I have more than that._

Grabbing hold of her one shred of confidence, Lavinia charged forward, gripping her blade tightly but making no moves to actually strike her opponent. Instead, she summoned long lengths of chain made of glowing, white mana, hooking them over Sarkhan's back and between his massive legs where she ran. He twisted his body around after her before belching out another inferno in her direction. With a gasp and a motion that she felt like it nearly sprained her ankle to do, she twisted around and pushed herself away just in time, only the edges of her cape getting singed. And again, she called forth more and more chains.

It was shocking to her how effortless creating them was. Normally she could only produce small lengths of chain to keep people bound to objects or one another (like how she had done to Chandra and Ral long before). It was a spell that took a great deal of concentration- to summon up mana from the aether and to form it into a solid object to bind people. But now it seemed so... effortless. It felt like nothing at all to call forth her binding spell to the extent that it began to overwhelm the beast dozens of times her size. And soon, he was tangled up into them to such an extent that he struggled to move. He would have let out a might roar if there wasn't a length of glowing white chain wrapped around his maw.

"Now!" Lavinia shouted to Gideon and Tajic, who had fallen back. "While he's bound!" As if to demonstrate- as if what she said wasn't easy to understand- she struck out and slashed at the dragon's leg. His entire body spasmed furiously as her blade dug into his rough, scaly skin, a muffled growl escaping him.

But it really wouldn't do to just wildly slash at the beast- it would be satisfying, but a large waste of time. So while Gideon and Tajic charged, Lavinia made her way to the head. It took every inch of her not to boast when she came face to face with Sarkhan Vol. He had said so many things about being able to handle them easily, and now she had found a way to give her comrades the upper hand. At the very least, she allowed herself to smirk as she tightly gripped her blade. She considered giving some sort of parting salvo before she ended things- and it was a consideration she would quickly regret taking.

With an incredible amount of force, Sarkhan's muscles rippled beneath his scales before he ripped through the chains as if they were nothing with a mighty roar. With a flap of his massive wings, he pushed back Tajic and Gideon and headbutted Lavinia, sending her flying a fare distance away before her back and head slammed into a slab of rock a ways away. At first she felt a sharp pain as the air was knocked from her lungs, but as she hit the ground her body suddenly felt heavy and sounds began to sound distant. And, as her vision began to grow dark, the last thing she saw was Sarkhan Vol ripping through her binding spell like it was nothing.

As she lost consciousness, Lavinia felt herself give into despair.

* * *

Tajic skidded away from Sarkhan Vol as he suddenly reared up and knocked him and Gideon away with a mighty flap of his wings. And even though he was able to regain his footing after rolling backwards a ways, he was not as concerned with going back on the counter attack and more about what had happened to Lavinia. She was no longer near the raging dragon- thank the gods- so where was she!? He wildly looked around, expecting the worst- a bloody mess or maybe a charred corpse- but much to his relief he spied her body resting against a pile of rock, limply leaning to one side.

"Lavinia!" He shouted, quickly regretting his outburst as Sarkhan's attention was turned to his (hopefully) unconscious friend. "No... _No_!"

Shouting, he bounded forward in a desperate attempt to make it to her before the dragon's claws did, but he found himself so focused on his objective he didn't even see the obstacle that was the dragon's tale whipping in his direction. Feeling the wind get completely knocked out of him he soared through the air, his view of Lavinia only obscured when he rolled backward behind an outcropping of rubble.

"Lav..." He croaked out as he coughed, feeling the world spin around him, a sharp pain stinging his side as he rolled over into his back. He drew in ragged breath and tasted metal, and despite how badly he wanted to will himself to move, his limbs wouldn't obey. No matter how much he wanted to rescue Lavinia, wanting would do nothing to get him back on his feet any faster. He attempted to roll over again, only to be greeted by the same shock of agony. "L-Lavi..."

"Tajic!" He heard Gideon call his name before he came to find his friend looming over him. He attempted to speak, but he could only gasp as he felt Gideon drag him to a nearby pile of rubble and leaned him up against it. Tajic reached up, grabbing at the surrounding rock to try and pull himself up, but Gideon forced him right back down. "Don't move, you're hurt!"

"B-but... Lavinia..." Tajic choked out, struggling against Gideon.

"Going on a suicidal rampage isn't going to save her!" Gideon shouted. "Use your head!"

"She's going to die!" Tajic shouted, despite the fact that every word sent needles of pain shooting through his body. "We have to... we have to save her!"

"You won't be able to anything in your condition! You're only going to get yourself killed running blindly into battle like that!" Gideon scolded angrily. "We have to come up with a-!"

A clink of something falling to the ground interrupted Gideon as he looked down to find the spell that had brought along for Jace. Ral had entrusted him with it despite how much Gideon had protested, and he felt a wave of relief the fight so far hadn't damaged the syringe at all. However, as he reached down to retrieve it, Tajic rested his own hand on it first, wrapping his fingers tightly around the glass vile.

"T-Tajic..." Gideon said, befuddled. "What are you...?"

"We were told that all of Bolas' minions are all under some kind of mind control... right?" He asked, looking Gideon dead in the eyes.

"... No..." Gideon gasped before shaking his head and attempting to take the vile back. "Tajic we can't! This is our only trump card, we can't just use it here!"

"So, what, we just die here!?" Tajic roared back with quite a bit of difficulty. It took him a short while to regain breath enough to continue speaking, wrenching his hand, still clutching the syringe, away from Gideon. "We just let Lavinia die and let that overgrown lizard fry us to a crisp, then, is that it!?"

"That isn't what I meant!" Gideon snapped back.

"Then what do you mean!?" Tajic asked harshly. "We're outmatched- easily! We aren't going to get out of here alive if we don't take risks and hope there might be another way to end all of this! We aren't going to get out of here if we just keep on following orders!"

"But... that spell is the only way to-"

"We don't know that for certain! It may have been the only way out for Lavinia and Ral and me, but... maybe there's another way to stop Jace!" Tajic pleaded.

"You're sounding crazy!" Gideon yelled.

"Oh, and just letting Lavinia possibly die and continuing to fight this hopeless battle isn't!? I'm not going to lose her, Gideon! And you know as well as me that you would do the same thing if it was Chandra out there!" Tajic snarled. "I know it's a big risk, but it's our only way out of here for all of us! And I'm going to go ahead with it..."

With a gasp, Tajic, once again, reached up with his free hand and began to pull himself up- this time being a bit more successful. He groaned and gasped against the strain, nearly falling back to the ground several times before he finally made it back to his feet- albeit on shaking legs, feeling significantly weaker.

"With... or without you."

"You're going to die trying this, you know that!?" Gideon asked frantically. "You're in no state to stand, let alone actually pull this off."

"Then at least I'll die knowing I tried to do something, Gideon!" Tajic shot back. "I've been in Boros for four years of my life, always being the yes man. I'm tired of taking orders- tired of doing things because I'm told. I want to do something I want to do- even if it's reckless. I want to do something that I know is right without being told that it is! Lavinia has a bright future... and I'll sacrifice everything to make sure she lives to see it! I realized that a while back..."

"...If we doom all of Ravnica for this... well, that will be punishment enough, but don't you dare think I'm not going to give you shit all the way down." Gideon finally spoke after a long, thoughtful silence.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. You've always been a nag out on the field whenever I wind up doing a misplay." Tajic chuckled. "But for now, I just need you to run out as a distraction. Don't even try attacking, just keep his attention long enough for me to get over there, get Lavinia and jab that fucker in the leg with this!"

"Not the most solid plan, but I figure we don't have much time." Gideon sighed. "Will you be okay to run?"

"I-I'll be fine... I think." Tajic muttered as he balanced himself. He looked back up to Gideon, who looked back at him with concern. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'll be fine, honest!"

"Nice famous last words you have there." Gideon attempted to joke, although it came out rather forced and clumsily.

"Let's get out there." Tajic smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I'll be right behind you." Gideon opened his mouth to speak, but he changed his mind- instead choosing to give a single, trusting nod before turning his back to Tajic and running out from behind the embankment, being sure to make plenty of noise to catch Sarkhan's attention.

He could see Lavinia's body trapped beneath one of the dragons talons, but he wasn't exactly crushing her- just using her as bait, probably, to lure out both him and Tajic. And so far, Sarkhan seemed absolutely fixed on him, not even noticing as Tajic hobbled out from behind their hiding place moments later. Gideon weaved between rocks, dodging swipes of the dragon's claws and explosions of fire. And through smoke and dust, he looked to see Tajic, almost nearly to where he needed to be, his hand outstretched to grab Lavinia...

But then Sarkhan swiftly turned his head, a toothy grin on his face as he caught Tajic in the act.

"No!" Gideon shouted, feeling as if time stood still as the dragon swiped at his friend with his fearsome claws, his razor-sharp talons meeting and slicing through flesh like melted butter. And, in that moment it was like Gideon was back on Theros, watching his friends all die, back on Zendikar, watching comrades die and back on ancient Ravnica, watching thousands of innocent people die. He was much too far to even dream of reaching his friend, but he stretched out his hand anyway as he scrambled to turn around and run right into danger. "TAJIC!"

_I'm always too late to save everyone._

Gideon felt his lungs begin to burn.

_I try so hard, I've tried... Gideon Jura... he tried, too, didn't he?_

He felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as hot tears began to build in his eyes.

 _Just once, I want to save them! Just once, I want to save the place I care about- the_ people _I care about!_

Time seemed to slow even more as Sarkhan swiped his fearsome claws at Gideon- claws covered in the blood of his dear comrade and friend.

_Just once, I want to be the hero I want to be... that Gideon Jura tried so desperately to be!_

Claws collided with Gideon's skin, and time resumed it's normal flow as, instead of a spray of blood and an overwhelming wave of agony, he heard a sharp crack and a furious roar from Sarkhan. Before his very eyes, Gideon watched as the claws that had wounded his friend shattered on impact with his body, a golden glow surrounding him. It was all too much to soak in all at once, but all he knew for sure was that he had to keep moving as he spotted the syringe on the ground. The last chance he was probably going to get was lying between him and his injured friend. He considered passing it by- completely ignoring it and going straight to Tajic, but he would only wind up drawing danger right back to him. It was now or it was never.

Twisting around mid-run, he grabbed the syringe off the ground, narrowly dodging another furious blow from Sarkhan and hardly even feeling the shock wave of the massive dragon's hand passing him by. Once again time slowed as he skidded to a stop before the monster. With every ounce of power he could summon, he leaped into the air just as the dragon prepared another blast of fire. However, Gideon was hardly deterred, calm in the face of flame that built up inside of the dragon's mouth and sprang out towards him in an explosion of light and heat. He let it pass over him, feeling nothing but a bit of warmth as his skin became damp with sweat. He emerged from the flame unscathed, bathed in an almost holy glow as he lunged at Sarkhan.

"This is for my friends!" He bellowed before uncapping the needle and plunging it into the dragon's long neck. At first, there wasn't much of a result, just Sarkhan trying to shake him off, but then the body of the dragon shuddered violently. He let out a roar that was loud enough the shake the entire cave and lurched to the side strong enough to finally dislodge Gideon. He stumbled and flailed, bringing chunks of stone still clinging to the walls crumbling down before toppling to the ground himself, hissing and spitting and groaning in agony. It was almost impossible to tell if the spell was doing it's job, or if it was killing him, but either way, it was producing some kind of result, and Gideon heaved a sigh of relief before sucking it back in.

_Right! Tajic!_

He hurried to his friend's side, falling to his knees with his hands hovering over Tajic's bleeding body nervously. Fingers twitched, his arms quivered and a warm lump grew in his throat. He wasn't moving, was he not breathing? Gideon's hands shook too much and his eyes were too full of tears to be able to be sure.

"Tajic... Tajic!?" He cried, clutching at his friends armor and shaking him. "Tajic!" An unsettling silence answered him, and Gideon choked back a sob as he rested his head against his friend's chest.

"I'm sorry... I'm so... so sorry." He muttered. "I should have stopped you... I'm sorry..."

"G-Gide...on..." He heard Tajic weakly cough. Gideon practically sprang backward, gasping so hard it hurt his throat.

" _Tajic_!"

"You're... on my...chest..." He wheezed uncomfortably. "Can't... breath..."

"Oh! Shit, yeah, sorry! Sorry!" Gideon exclaimed, throwing up his arms and wiping at his eyes.

But even though Tajic was alive, he wasn't out of the woods. There was still the issue of the gash still bleeding in his side. Gideon removed the plates of armor as quickly and as carefully as he could with shaking hands before undoing the sash he wore around his waste and pressing it against Tajic's wound. The blue, silky fabric immediately absorbed enough blood to be turned a deep, murky red, but Gideon kept it pressed there, all the while muttering, "It's fine, you're going to be okay. It's fine."

"Gid...eon?" Gideon sharply turned around to see Lavinia limping towards them, clutching at her arm that hung limply at her side. Blood trickled from a wound just above her hairline, but she looked back at him without an ounce of pain. She just seemed confused, and then worried as she came to find who Gideon was attending to. "W-What happened!?"

"I-It's a long story..." Gideon attempted to explain. "But everything's alright, now."

"Alright my ass!" Lavinia snapped as she knelt down beside him and nudged him out of her way. "Get out of the way, I can do this better than you can!"

"Alright, fine." Gideon sighed, scrambling to his feet. He knew Lavinia knew a little bit of healing magic, or at least something close to it. Avacyn had brought up once or twice that Lavinia had developed a spell that would fix broken items in her home so she seemed to, maybe, have a knack for putting things back together. "Is there anything you need me to do in the meantime?"

"We need you to run the maze." Lavinia responded simply.

"Oka- wait, _what!_?" Gideon gawked.

"This is going to take me a really long time, and we can't waste any more time sitting here." Lavinia explained. "You need to keep running the maze without us."

"But-"

"We'll be fine!" Lavinia insisted. "They need your help more than I do."

"...You better not let him die." Gideon told her, a deadly-serious tone in his voice.

"Trust me, Jura, I wouldn't dream of it." Lavinia smiled. "Now _go_!"

Gideon was hesitant at first, but a quick, determined stare from Lavinia was all he needed to get the motivation to depart. He only paused once more at the multiple exits, appearing to just give up and chose a tunnel at random before vanishing down it. She sighed and turned back to Tajic, glaring down at him.

"I saw what you and Gideon did, you know." She scolded. "I hope you're prepared to live with the consequences if things go south."

"I-"

"Hey, no talking!" Lavinia groaned. "Just relax. I'm really good at fixing cups and plates- human bodies are a little bit harder to patch up."

"Sor- oh... right..." Tajic chuckled before going completely silent, closing his eyes.

"I really hope you don't make a habit out of getting hurt in order to save me." Lavinia chuckled. "You should watch out for yourself every once in a while, too, you know?"

The sound of footsteps echoed from behind them.

"Gideon, I swear, we're fine, I told you to-" She began to say before turning around to find Gideon had long gone, and instead of who she expected, there stood Ajani Goldmane, the albino Nacatl from the football team and, more notably, Tajic and Gideon's friend. However, his presence wasn't as shocking as the impossibly large, double-bladed ax that was easily his size. It was such a surreal sight, all she could do at first was look back at him with her mouth hanging open.

"A-Ajani..." She finally managed to choke out, feeling uneasy under his gaze. There was a look in his eyes that sent a sickening shiver up her spine. "What... what are you doing here? I mean... you aren't running for any of the guilds, right?"

"Lavinia... I'm sorry." Ajani muttered.

"S-Sorry for what?" Lavinia asked, refusing to move her hands away from Tajic's body. "What do you mean...?"

"...It's Elspeth... She became sick and fell into a coma..." Ajani explained, tightening his grip on his ax. "If I don't do as they say... they're going to kill her, Lavinia! I don't know what to do... but I know I don't want her to die!"

"Ajani, please, calm down and be rational about this!" Lavinia begged. "You don't have to do this! We're here trying to stop them!"

"I'm sorry..." Ajani muttered, raising the ax high above his head. At the very least, he did sound legitimately sorry, as if what he was doing was hurting him just as much. That being said, that didn't change the fact he was about to chop Lavinia and Tajic in half.

"AJANI! STOP!" Lavinia shouted, flinching helplessly as he brought the blade down- only for a loud, metallic clang to ring out through the whole chamber, the killing blow never reaching Lavinia or Tajic. Cautiously, she opened one eye, and then the other before staring up at their savior in pure, confused awe.

"S...Sarkhan... Vol?" She questioned. He stood between them and Ajani, using one of their swords they had dropped to block Ajani's killing blow. He seemed to struggle under the weight and force of the ax, grunting from the strain.

"It's been a long time since I was in control of my own body... This sure is a fine way to wake up..." He grumbled. "Consider this a token of my gratitude to you children. Saving your lives... seems like fair payment for finally granting my my freedom."


	46. For the People Important to Me

"You're awfully quiet."

Liliana perked up upon hearing Nissa's voice cut through the silence. She looked over her shoulder at her as the two of them made their way through the darkened tunnels of the maze. The corridor they had walked had long since hallowed out a bit, looking more like a cave than a man-made structure. The sound of water rushing from somewhere in the darkness echoed, and stalagmites and stalactites rose up and dropped down from the shadows. It was hard to tell if they were even on a path at all, or just a smoothed out place that had been carved out by water.

"O-Oh I... I didn't think you were expecting conversation." Liliana stammered in surprise. "I mean... you never did seem the type."

"Hm..." Nissa sighed, turning around before, surprisingly, chuckling to herself. "Or maybe you were thinking of Beleren?"

"I-!" Liliana exclaimed, before withdrawing her words. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"Emmara used to always say..." Nissa said with a smile, before donning a high falsetto, as if to imitate Emmara. "'Liliana seems to be trailing off and losing herself in her own thoughts these days. She obviously would never admit it, but I know she's thinking of Jace'." She punctuated herself with a chuckle before looking back at Liliana once again. "Was this time any different?"

"I..." Liliana muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "... I was able to speak with him last night..." She began, "we didn't talk about it much- I refused to hear any of it... but he did tell me he is, on some level, aware of the things Bolas makes him do. He described it like his body is just a vehicle he has no control over, but he can see outside to what's happening- like a runaway train. I'm just worried about him, I guess. I can only imagine how it must feel, to have to stand idly by while someone else controls your own destiny." Liliana looked down at her hands, clenching and unclencing them. It was a simple motion with hardly any thought behind it, but it was of her own volition. She was free to move how she wanted and do as she pleased- maybe it was something she took for granted.

"Ah-hrrm..." Liliana looked up as Nissa cleared her throat, breaking her from her trance.

"Why the questions all of a sudden, huh?" Liliana asked, hoping it was just dark enough to hide her blushing. "Why so interested all of a sudden?"

"Does my curiosity _offend_ you?" Nissa asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Wh- no! It's just... you never seemed all that interested in any of us before. All this time you've just been sort of cooperating with all of us because we shared the same goal, but there was hardly anything else beyond that." Liliana explained. "And now you're asking me about Jace, like my feelings matter to you? I'm sorry if that comes off as a little rude, but it just seems really... out of character for you."

"I suppose it does seem a little strange, doesn't it? It feels a little unnatural to me, myself, if that puts you a little more at ease." Nissa shrugged.

"It really doesn't." Liliana snorted.

"These past few months have just gotten me thinking... I didn't like it at first, but the lot of you are Emmara's friends, and apart of her life." Nissa sighed, sounding oddly unsure of her words when she normally sounded so confident. "If we're to be married, and her life becomes my life, well... you humans are going to become apart of it as well, whether I like it or not."

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry." Liliana said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Having to interact with humans, it's a _real_ crying shame." Nissa sighed in annoyance at this, hands on her hips as she shook her head.

"I've never been on the best of terms with humans. They've never contributed anything of value to my life at their best, and ruined it at their worst. I'm unaware of exactly how long you've been alive, but maybe you'll recall... it was a very long time ago, when I was still incredibly young- still a child." Nissa paused, sounding downtrodden as she returned to her tale after a short silence. "Mages weren't the only people to suffer from the discrimination of the people of Ravnica. My family, among many others, were uprooted from our homes and our lives, forced to live with our 'own kind'. The City of Ravnica, the little town just above us, used to be one of those communities magic folk were forced into. Humanity tries to deny it now, but I remember when we were forced to live in slums together, nothing but memories of the proud race we used to be to keep us warm.

"But even though humans hated us, they still saw our bodies as useful, and recruited us into wars in exchange for better lives- war that took my father and my older siblings, just so me and my mother could live in comfort among people who hated us and spat at us." Nissa wrapped her arms around her body. She was facing away, but Liliana could tell she was speaking through clenched teeth. "Mages could live in comfort so long as no one knew they had powers, but elves and other magical creatures... our lineage isn't something so easily hidden. So, even as elves and other magical creatures slowly, bit by bit, were given back their rights, I still remember every foul name and hurtful word, every rock tossed my way."

"O-Oh..." Liliana looked down at her feet. "I'm... I'm sorry, I really should have known."

"It's fine... well, no, it's not fine, but at the very least, it's understandable. That chapter in history is usually painfully glossed over in textbooks and human storytelling." Nissa waved her hand dismissively.

"So... why try to make nice with me and the others at all, then?" Liliana questioned.

"Haven't you been listening at all?" Nissa shot back sharply before sucking in a breath and sighing in exhaustion. "It's because of Emmara. Emmara, who lived the same life as me, who experienced the same things as I did, who saw the ugly side of humanity just like me... And yet, when the time came, she rejected the hatred our race had developed for humans, and attended Ravnica Academy against her parent's wishes- ultimately, it got her disowned. I recall she invited them to our wedding when we tried to tie the knot the first time, and hardly any of them showed. Humans did nothing but treat her like dirt and did nothing to earn her kindness, but she wanted to help them. She wanted to pursue a career where she could help people and save their lives. She took all of their ugliness in and gave none of it back. It pains me to say it, but it was the one thing about her I didn't like."

"So what about now? If this is all just because we're just baggage that will come when you two inevitably try to get married again, you don't have to force yourself. Up until all of this, you were pretty good at keeping your distance." Liliana asked, unsure of how to feel- her emotions somewhere between sympathetic and bitter.

"It's because it's what Emmara would have done!" Nissa shot back. "Emmara would ignore her pride and her prejudices and help you, no matter how small the problem. Even though it would trouble her, she would smile. She's soft spoken, much too forgiving and kind, and isn't at all good at saying no to people but... she's much stronger a person than I ever was... and I should desire to reach that level of strength."

"Heh... I understand you there." Liliana agreed. "Emmara has an unseen strength a lot of us don't."

"And... in a way... I envy you a little." Nissa commented, the words obviously a struggle for her to say. "I envied you before I even met you."

"I-Is that so?" Liliana asked in surprise. "I don't know if I should feel honored or shocked."

"She always spoke of you when we were first together- this human friend of hers from her high school days." Nissa sighed. "She'd always get bullied her first year at the academy, and suddenly a girl stepped in- a girl who wasn't even a student, just someone who always seemed to lurk around the campus- and saved her. Outside of class, she became her constant companion, and even though she hardly spoke much to her in the beginning, Emmara still admired her. Maybe it was that girl who cemented Emmara's faith in humanity, who taught her that humans aren't always that bad. She always had a light in her eyes when she spoke about her, a light I thought was mine and mine alone. I envied that girl- envied her so much it stung. And... I wanted to cast away my pride so I could meet her... and get to know her..."

"Oh well... Emmara is a really huge softy, you know, and she tends to over-exaggerate!" Liliana chuckled. "I could have done far less for her and she still would have done a lot to talk me up. She honestly gives me too much credit, since I originally approached her to get information about the school for Bolas. As genuine as our friendship is now, it started incredibly artificially."

"... Did she ever mention me?" Nissa dared to ask. "She used to write you so many letters when we were first together. Did she ever...?" She bit her lip and turned around to face Liliana. "What did she... think of me back then?"

"She..." Liliana took a long pause, unsure of what to make of Nissa's expression. There was something in her eyes she had never seen before. Her normally hard gaze had softened, and her normally confident expression seemed doubtful.

"It was something I wanted to ask her before all this mess started, I was just... afraid of what she would say." Nissa admitted. "Our old relationship isn't something I like dwelling on, and was afraid it would trigger something with Emmara if I ever brought it up to her. I just... want to know if she felt the same then as she does now. I want to know if I wasn't looking back at our past through rose-tinted glasses."

Vulnerable, that was it. That was the look on Nissa's face. This was her, exposing her belly to the person she once considered her enemy, and it took every ounce of Liliana's own will not to lie to her to see how she would react.

"She adored you from the moment she met you, Nissa. I remember, when she met you while she was interning at a hospital near her university, she wrote me a letter that might as well have been a small novel." Liliana laughed. "She was confused, and afraid, but more than that she was in love with an elf who had come into the ER with a broken arm. I remember her writing how impressed she was over how you acted like it was nothing."

"I've been told I'm pretty good at keeping my cool." Nissa muttered with a small smile on her face. "I was more focused on not acting like a fool in front of her than the actual pain, so maybe that did it."

"She always had so much to say about you, Nissa. I was really glad she had found someone after I was forced to leave. Every letter was full of your name, and of how happy she was, but..." Liliana paused, regretting the "but" entirely as she looked far off in another direction. She hoped Nissa didn't catch it, but her expression said otherwise.

"... But what?" She asked, a bit too forcefully. She sounded angry, but more than that she sounded hurt.

"The days leading up to your wedding she wrote about you less and less. Her letters became shorter and shorter, and she responded to my inquiries about you as minimally as possible. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what. She refused to explain, even when I asked if things were going well. And then, shortly after the day of the wedding, she sent me another letter, and all she had to say was that it... 'didn't work out'."

"Nothing else?" Nissa asked.

"Nothing more than that." Liliana nodded. "I sent her so many letters, asking what had happened, but it was months before I got another letter again, and she just acted like nothing had happened. Even when I continued to ask her what had happened, she dodged the question. Not really knowing what had happened, I really started to hate Nissa Revane for what she may have done. And... there are a lot of things about you I really don't care for but... I'm starting to see I severely misjudged you. And I'm... really glad Emmara has someone like you in her life."

"O-Oh..." Nissa blinked a few times, seeming surprised. "Well, thank you, I-" Suddenly her head snapped up and her ears pricked up, and before Liliana could ask what was wrong, Nissa grasped at her hand and forcefully pulled her behind her.

"H-Hey!" Liliana shouted in protest.

"We've been followed." Nissa said quietly. "For some time now, it seems. I should have noticed it before. And it's definitely not one of our friends- they've stuck to the shadows for a while, but I guess they couldn't hide their blood lust forever."

"Alright, nothing to it, then, we just have to fight them and get it over with, right?" Liliana asked with a cock of her head. "Nothing to it."

"No." Nissa shook her head before looking back at Liliana seriously. "You need to keep moving. Out of all of us, you're the one who could stop Jace, with or without that spell Ral Zarek made- I can feel it. You can't waste your time here, you need to keep going without me!"

"But-" Liliana began to protest.

"I can handle things here on my own, I'll be fine." Nissa assured her. "Now go! I'll catch up when I'm done here."

Liliana looked at Nissa hesitantly, taking a few small steps backward as she tried and failed to come up with words to say as the elf turned to face courageously forward.

"Nng..." She muttered. "You'd better not die now that we're actually getting to know one another, you hear me!?"

"Loud and clear." Nissa nodded without turning around to see Liliana off as she turned and ran deeper into the cave and further away from Nissa, who stood her ground and drew her sword: a long, elegant weapon that sprung fourth from the twisted, hardened vines that made up her staff. The metallic sound of her blade being unsheathed echoed all around her, and then she was drowned in silence. But she could feel it, even though she couldn't see it- someone was there, lurking in the shadows.

"What a shame for you to have sent that Liliana girl away- she would have been an excellent piece to add to my collection." A voice chuckled from the shadows. "It's not every day an artist comes across good material like that."

"Show yourself!" Nissa shouted into the darkness. "Hiding like a coward isn't going to get us anywhere!"

"You mistake keeping myself hidden for cowardice, but it's quite the opposite. It will soon be you who is afraid." The voice laughed. "I'll torment you, fill you with a sense of helplessness and fear, the likes of which you've never known, and then when your terror is at it's peak I'll more than gladly show myself. And it all will be worth it in the end- even with Liliana gone, you're still quite the specimen yourself. I'll immortalize your very being in stone, and you will remain as another one of my masterpieces for all eternity."

"... I know you." Nissa muttered, eyes darting left and right. The way the voice was bouncing off the walls, it was impossible to tell where her enemy actually was. "You're that gorgon girl who turned those students to stone a few years back! Vraska!"

"Oh, so you've heard of my work!" She cackled back, the sneer she most likely had on her lips more than audible in her voice. "And now, you'll get the honor of becoming a piece in my portfolio!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass." Nissa snarled, attempting to focus. She could feel the roots that twisted all around them, just beyond the walls and below their feet, all she had to do was wait for her opponent to pass over them... but something didn't seem right. The earth refused to obey her, and spoke a language she felt she couldn't understand. Life that slumbered within the cave seemed to speak an alien language to her, and seemed to almost rebel against her will.

_No..._

"Oh, I'm sorry, but that isn't an option." Vraska mocked from the darkness. "Your life will end here, and your new life as my latest masterpiece will begin. That is a certainty."

* * *

Liliana ran through the dark, the once wide and dark cave that had been formed around her slowly looking less and less like a natural formation and back to looking like something people had come in and built- albeit it was much more wider a tunnel lined with pillars both standing and absolutely decimated and lying on the ground. But even more than that, she could feel a breeze blowing from somewhere in the tunnel, moving around the once stagnant air that she had been breathing before and bringing even more of a chill to the large corridor.

"There must be an exit somewhere nearby..." She thought aloud to herself as she ran around a corner- only to have to immediately dodge an object that came careening at her face. With no real time to figure out just what it was, Liliana threw herself to the ground, skidding on the rocky ground and kicking up dust as whatever it was that had been hurled at her crashed noisily into the wall. Large chunks of rock were dislodged and came to join Liliana on the ground as she covered her head.

"Too slow, Garruk, _too slow_!" A voice scolded, and Liliana's eyes snapped open as she struggled to get back up on her feet. She cursed under her breath, both at the name and the familiar voice who had spoken it. It was nothing short of irony she came across them- the only two people running the maze that she had personally had a hand in sending to the night class.

Teysa Karlov stood just behind Garruk Wildspeaker, totally dwarfed by him and the mighty ax that he roughly ripped from out of the stone wall. It looked big enough to be able to cleave a horse in half, and even Garruk and all his muscle mass had a bit of a difficult time keeping it held up. Liliana stumbled to her feet as quickly as she could as well as taking a few stumbling steps backward.

"Well, you try swinging this ridiculous thing around, and then we'll talk about how easy you think it is to hit moving targets with!" Garruk snapped back, to which Teysa merely rolled her eyes.

"How convenient we've run into you, though, Miss Vess!" Teysa called out to Liliana with a smug grin on her face. "I was just thinking about how wonderful it would be to finally get back at you for what you did to us. I lost my status in Orzhov and the respect of my peers, forced to dwell among the thugs and lowlifes of the school... no offense to my thuggish colleague." Garruk grumbled to himself, muttering something vaguely threatening-sounding under his breath. "And Garruk lost his place on the football team, and a bright future of being scouted his senior year. To say the both of us have a bone to pick with you would be... a gross understatement."

"You tormented people until they were forced to take their lives, and people Garruk assaulted are still recovering!" Liliana shot back. "If you really think you weren't going to be dealt with eventually, you're severely mistaken! I was just doing as I was told!"

"There are people who need to be dealt with in this world- people who need to be put in their place so those who are of a higher status can rise to power." Teysa cruelly explained. "In this world, only the wealthy and the powerful should be on top- it's only natural. Nicol Bolas has offered us just that and more- a lot more than this awful school and the filth of Ravnica have offered us. With what we've been promised and what we've been given already, we will have this world bowing at our feet... starting with you."

"Well I certainly hope you aren't expecting me to get down on my knees and praise you just because you brought muscles and his big, scary ax along." Liliana grumbled. "It's going to take a lot more than that."

"And that's why I'm here." Teysa sneered. "Getting people to lie down and let themselves die without having to dirty my hands is my specialty."

* * *

Nissa whirled around, blocking another attack from her unseen foe and, once more, came to find nothing but darkness. Vraska had taken to hiding in the shadows, attacking her from behind to keep from behind seen and vanishing back into the darkness of the cave. She could hear her footsteps scraping against rock and splashing into water, but the echos from the cave seemed to reverberate all around her, making it nearly impossible to find out exactly where the enemy was, or where she was coming from.

And in those few times where she could finally hear her, her a shoe scraping against gravel or a dark chuckle right behind her, Nissa felt only crippling fear that she would turn around and see those eyes that could petrify her with a single look. It kept her reacting a second too late, kept her flinching and freezing up. And, without the help of her elemental magic, all she had was her blade.

"What's the matter? I figured you'd be much more of a fight than this!" Vraska cackled from the shadows. "Or are you intending on making this easy for me, just like all the other pieces in my portfolio? I really hoped I'd be able to put time and effort into this one, but you're just not making this at all fun for me!"

"If you're trying to scare me, I'm not going to give you the satisfaction!" Nissa shouted back, hearing her foe's footsteps again, echoing all around her. "What you could do to me... doesn't frighten me in the slightest!"

"Oh, is that so?" Nissa felt a shiver run up her spine as she felt Vraska's hot breath caress her neck, hands resting gently on each of her hips. She could feel her long, pointed nails scrape against her sides through her clothes, and she did her best to hold back a gasp. "What about what I could do to other people, then? Maybe you might be so brave, unwavering in the face of your own demise but... maybe a certain fiance of yours isn't."

"Emmara!" Nissa couldn't help but gasp, eyes growing wide as she restrained the urge to turn around and face her enemy.

"Ah yes, Miss Tandris- she'd make a stunning piece for my collection as well. So pure and kind, it won't take much to draw pure, absolute fear out of her." Vraska hissed, sliding her hands up Nissa's sides. "What do you think? She'd make a beautiful work of art, won't she- much softer and elegant than you."

"Stop..." Nissa muttered under her breath, her heart pounding against her chest as an angry fire built up in her gut.

"Oh, you know I can't do that." Vraska snickered. "Once an artist like myself gets truly inspired, it's hard to stop me. But don't think I lack any sense of kindness. I'll see to it that the two of you are together forever- companion pieces in stone."

"STOP!" Nissa bellowed as she tightly shut her eyes and wildly swung her sword as she spun blindly around. Much to her unfortunate surprise, however, her sword passed through nothing but air, and seconds later, she felt a powerful kick connect with her side. She sharply gasped in pain as she was kicked off her feet and sent skidding across the rough ground a fair distance away. Her sword was knocked free of her hand, leaving her defenseless as she slid to a stop. She opened her eyes only a moment, seeing she shape of Vraska moving towards her, and shut them tightly. Hearing her footsteps draw closer and closer, Nissa groped around blindly for her weapon, only finding rocks and puddles of water.

"Now, now, why don't you open those eyes and show me your fear, won't you?" Vraska spoke teasingly as she stopped in front of Nissa and leaned down to grasp roughly at her chin. She could feel her nails scrape at her skin, threatening to pierce through and draw blood. "It will hurt only for a second, and then you will be immortalized in stone, a beautiful masterpiece whose beauty will last centuries. It's all you'll ever be good for, in the end."

"Nng..." Nissa grunted, keeping her eyes shut as tight as she could, as she furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose in her effort to keep her eyes closed.

"You're no longer of any use to Bolas, and you couldn't save any of those poor little humans you call friends. And, in the end, you couldn't even save the one person you loved the very most. You missed the signs and now she's doomed to live in her nightmares for an eternity." Vraska mocked. "Does all this remind you of something? Dooming the ones you love and being unable to do anything about it? But this time, you can't run away from your mistakes, Nissa Revane. This time you'll receive your punishment, and die with the plane you were too weak to save!"

"Shut..." Nissa muttered, clenching her teeth furiously. "UP!" With a powerful yell, Nissa threw her head back and then pushed herself forward, slamming her forehead against Vraska's. She could feel blood splash against her skin from somewhere, and in the heat of everything she couldn't tell if it was her own or Vraska's, but she knew it hurt just as much for her as it did for her enemy, who shrieked in pain just before Nissa leaped up and shoved her away with a shoulder. Warm, oozing blood trickled from her forehead and down the bridge of her nose, but she made no move to wipe it away as she held out her hands and outstretched her fingers, as if she were searching for something.

_Please answer me!_

"I failed in protecting Zendikar, and it's a mistake that haunts me every waking moment! I ran when I should have stayed, hoping to continue Zendikar's legacy elsewhere!" She cried, tears building up behind her eyelids and managing to squeeze themselves out.

_I can feel you, just barely! Just out of my reach!_

"Ravnica is the place of that new legacy, and it is _my_ home!" She continued her furious tirade, feeling small, tiny pinpricks in the darkness, hearing small voices whispering to her, beckoning her to a place that was both completely alien to her and yet, somehow, very familiar. "And I have found something important here- people to care for and a place to protect! I will not allow this plane to fall with so much more on the line! I won't fail again!"

_Hear my call, Ravnica!_

The ground shook beneath them as Nissa felt as if her body was drinking in mana like she was dying of thirst. I felt overwhelming but at the same time strangely comforting: the embrace of the plane that had been slumbering for so long beneath her feet. For so long she had agonized over the fate of Zendikar, and how Nissa Revane had abandoned it, she had blinded herself to realizing that Ravnica was _her_ home now, and it had finally come to greet her and welcome her with open arms. This was her home, Emmara's home, her friend's home, and it would rise up to help her in her time of need to protect, not just Nissa, but everyone she cared for.

"Ravnica will rise up against you, and against Bolas!" Nissa shouted over the rumbling that filled the cave before large, woody roots burst forth from the once firm ground and rock all around them. "Ravnica will not fall to you and your ilk so easily!"

Vraska cried out frantically as she attempted to fend off the tentacle-like roots that curled around her like snakes binding their prey, but was quickly overwhelmed. They wrapped tightly around her arms and legs, limiting her movements at first and then binding her in place. She groaned as she attempted to fight against the forces of nature come to fight alongside Nissa, but even her best efforts were no use. Her own powers to petrify her enemies had no effect on a foe that had no eyes to see- only a will to stop her in her tracks.

"Get off me!" She screamed as a single, thick root wrapped around her face to cover her petrifying gaze. "Get these things off of me!"

"Not until we're done here, and Bolas' plan has been thwarted." Nissa spoke tauntingly as she finally felt safe enough to open her eyes to take in her handy work, or rather Ravnica's handy work. "Comfortable?"

"Uugh..." Vraska growled, her muscles obviously tensed to move her arms and legs, but being unable to. The vines and roots held her in place, a few inches above the ground. But, much to Nissa's surprise, Vraska soon relaxed and began to darkly laugh, as if she had realized something hilarious and equally sinister. "Do you really think it's just Bolas you have to worry about, you moron?"

"What are you talking about?" Nissa asked, picking up her blade and pressing it just below Vraska's chin, but even still, the gorgon girl only grinned, as if she knew Nissa had been given orders not to kill any of them. She didn't flinch or stammer, and only continued to chuckle.

"You'll see soon enough. You'll all soon find out soon enough when you get dragged into a living nightmare like all the others!" Vraska cackled. "You'll never make it to Jace, and certainly not Bolas. He has a confidant who has plans for this despicable place, and they've been made to wait long enough. They aren't going to let you stop Bolas, not while their own plans are on the line. You can stop people like me with vines and weapons and brute force, but when your enemy is the dark reaches of your own mind, you have nothing to protect yourself."

"What...?" Nissa muttered, frowning in confusion.

"So go on, little rabbit, run this maze and try to stop us! But you can't outrun your own nightmares!"

* * *

Liliana dodged yet another blow from Garruk's ax, pieces of rubble and rock flying up and buffeting her as she narrowly got out of the way of his blow. Her limbs ached and her lungs burned and her mind swam. Garruk had kept her busy enough to keep her from seeking out mana to draw from to summon even the smallest spell- but even more so, Teysa had made it all the more difficult to concentrate. Even though the dainty heiress was a good distance away from the action, she had her own way to engage in the battle, or rather the ghosts that came to her beck and call did. Liliana now understood just how Teysa was able to torment students enough for them to take their own lives. If it wasn't with rumor spreading and life ruining, it was with the spirits who attended to her whims that whispered things into her ear, that tormented Liliana as she tried to keep from getting chopped into pieces.

"Why don't you just give up already?!" Teysa called out playfully. "I'm sure you've been given hundreds of reasons by now for why that is the best idea!" And, in truth, Liliana had. The ghosts at Teysa's beck and call were a very persuasive lot, getting to her in ways normal people could- like they had kept watch over her for years digging up dirt on her. They dragged her down mentally, enough to make her own body feel heavy. Of course, Liliana wasn't about to let Teysa or Garruk know that.

"It's going to take more than that to get me to roll over and give up!" Liliana panted as she wiped at her brow that was completely drenched with sweat. "Clearly you've never been in love with anything more than money and power."

"That's some tongue you've got. It's just going to make it that much more satisfying to cut it right out of your mouth!" Teysa growled. "Garruk, don't just stand there! Cut her into ribbons!"

Liliana gasped once more as Garruk swung his ax in her direction, and even though her legs begged to be given a rest, she leaped out of the way and tumbled to the ground once again.

"Why do you even want to want to stand against us?" Teysa asked smugly. "You realize if you do what you want, stop Bolas and free the curse over Ravnica, that the demons that Liliana Vess sold her soul to will be able to come and collect, right? I can only imagine payment is long overdue, and she left you with the bill. Why stand against us if that's what awaits you if you actually get what you want?"

"I'll find a way to break free, just as Liliana Vess did!" Liliana gasped. "I'll finish what she started!"

"Oh, but what kind of life is that?" Teysa laughed. "Maybe Liliana Vess of the past was up to the task, but are you? Do you really think you can stand against demons like the ones she made deals with? Do you really think you're strong enough?"

"I..." Liliana began to protest, but she became filled with doubt, and the whispers and quiet jeers all around her certainly helped in dragging her down. "I..."

"Bolas can offer you one last chance, you know. Pledge your allegiance to him once more, and he'll break your bonds and you and Jace Beleren can live in comfort!" Teysa offered. "With the powers he will be granted, Bolas will be able to deliver to those who serve him loyally."

"But... everyone else... I..." Liliana muttered, not noticing Garruk's shadow looming over her, or Teysa's smirk.

"What about them? What have they done for you, really? You've seen what they'll do when you step out of line and do something you don't like." Teysa chortled. "They'll ostracize you, and drop you at a moments notice the moment you do something unsatisfactory. What kind of friends are those? You don't need them, and you never did! In Bolas' fold, you'll be wanted and appreciated, and saved."

"I'll... be..."

"Join us once more, Liliana. We'll give you everything you want." Teysa said as she eyed Garruk, who began to raise the ax over his head. "We'll give you everything you deserve."

"...Everything?" Liliana asked weakly. Teysa grinned ear to ear in response, no longer pretending to be kind and merciful.

"Yes, Liliana, everything! Starting now!"

The ax swung down with a mighty whoosh, more than enough power put into the swing to slice Liliana right in half. Teysa watched excitedly, ready for her sweet, sweet revenge to be delivered with an explosion of blood and bone- but much to her and Garruk's surprise, the blow was stopped, mere inches from Liliana's head. Bony arms and rotting bodies rose up from the ground around Liliana to stop Garruk's blow, gripping his weapon with bony- yet somehow immensely powerful- hands. And the more he attempted to yank the weapon free, the more of the dead seemed to rise up from the ground around them, grabbing at the hilt of the ax, then Garruk's arms.

"It's... a really tempting offer." Liliana sighed, shaking her head before looking at Teysa with a determined smirk. "But I think I'll have to pass!"

"Y-You idiot! You're turning down an opportunity to finally lead an easy life!" Teysa shot back, taking several steps backward as more arms of the dead reached up from the ground. "Stop! _Stop_! Don't touch me!"

"Being freed from my debt to be under the thumb of Bolas- no thank you. I'll leave that to weak-minded people like all of you." Liliana smirked as she rose to her feet. "Still, it was a clever trick you had with using spirits. Unfortunately for you, spirits have a will of their own, but the dead- they're just empty shells, and it's very easy for your will to become their own. And this maze- this city- it's full of the dead!"

"Stay back! Get away from me!" Teysa shrieked. "Garruk, _do something_!" But, even with all his might and muscle, the army of corpses that answered Liliana's call was enough to overpower him, dragging him to the ground beneath a pile of bones and rotten flesh.

"What's the matter, Teysa?" Liliana laughed. "Just... giving you want you deserve."


	47. Unprepared

Chandra withheld a sigh, staring at the backs of her companions and then down at her feet. It felt as if they had been walking around for hours, zigzagging through tight hallways and caves and passageways, their journey peppered with Tibalt complaining about needing a break and him and Ral occasionally butting heads. Chandra, at the very least, could silently agree with Tibalt that her feet _did_ hurt, but it was something she could easily ignore. Her mind was set on other matters- matters the group had long since left behind. She'd tried to push her own, conflicting thoughts back into the back of her mind and down where she wouldn't be able to reach them, and at first it felt as if she had been successful. But each time, they would come bubbling back up to the surface.

" _Tell Tezzeret I'm sorry"_

It nagged at her relentlessly, as she bounced between wanting to just forget about what she had heard and over-analyzing it. It had been such a genuine request, not a bit of anger or hate or malice mixed in to her words. And her eyes... The look in her eyes had been...

Chandra silently grunted to herself, furious she felt anything at all regarding the girl who had attempted to ruin her life and not to mention kill her. She should have been able to surmount her feelings about it all so easily. She should have been able to just forget about the request and the look in Baltrice's eyes with ease. She _should_ have, but Chandra was never good at doing what she should, even if it was at her own expense.

Why had Baltrice been so intent on dying? With eyes full of regret and sadness, she had demanded that Chandra let her go. Her perceptions of Baltrice that the girl had done nothing to prove wrong and what she had seen back at the lava-filled chamber were at odds with each other. Something wasn't stacking up, and it was frustrating.

"Is something the matter?" Chandra snapped her head back up to find Avacyn drifting to her side, cocking her head slightly.

"O-of course not!" Chandra insisted. "Everything's fine!"

"You know, you're not a very good liar." Avacyn stated. "Ral and Tibalt may be able to buy into you saying you're fine, but I know you a lot better than they do. If something is the matter, it won't do any of us any good if you keep it to yourself."

"I-!" Chandra began to protest before biting her lip. "...It's nothing. I mean, it's not important, I'm just... confused."

"You were acting strangely back at the chamber- like you were in shock." Avacyn noted. "Did something happen in your fight with Baltrice?"

"..." Chandra looked down at the ground thoughtfully. "... Do you know if there was anything between Baltrice and Tezzeret?"

"Hmm? The metal-working professor?" Avacyn questioned. "The two of them were both members of the Infinite Consortium before Baltrice was voted in as the Rakdos guidleader, but other than that, I never heard anything regarding the two of them. Why do you ask?"

"I just..." Chandra muttered, running her fingers through her short hair as she tried to come to grips with her feelings. "I can't help but feel that... I did something wrong."

"Something...?" Avacyn began to question before a noise that overpowered her voice and all other sounds rang through the corridor- something that was a cross between a roar and a metallic shriek. The four of them stopped in their tracks, bracing themselves for anything as the sound continued to tear through the stone hallway. It dragged on, becoming a wail and forcing all of them to cover their ears and seemed to shake the very ground they stood on. Unable to summon up a voice loud enough to climb over the noise, they could only look at one another with panicked expressions while also trying to find the source of the noise.

And then, all at once, the noise dissipated, silencing itself as quickly as it had started, and leaving the air around them ringing. The four of them collectively gasped in relief, slowly and cautiously lowering their arms.

"Wh-what was _that_!?" Tibalt asked, frantically looking about.

"I... I don't know..." Chandra muttered joining him seconds before something else caught her attention- and everyone else's attention: a deep, low rumble followed by the gut-wrenching noise of earth moving and crumbling. And if that hadn't been enough to get all of them running, the sight of the tunnel caving in behind them certainly was enough to force them all into a sprint. Legs that had been tired out from walking found new energy, and feet that had been sore gained new-found tolerance as the four of them made a mad dash forward, hardly a step ahead of the crumbling tunnel.

Chandra cried out, hardly able to hear herself or the others as she ran- a cross between a terrified sprint and a mad scramble. She could hear the cave-in getting closer, it's deafening rumble growing more and more powerful, and could feel bits and pieces of rock and debris hitting her back. The air smelled overwhelmingly of dust and earth, so much it felt suffocating as she struggled to breath as she ran.

"Oh, gods, not here! Please, not here!" She thought desperately to herself. "I don't want to die! I can't die!"

Mere moments after those very thoughts passed through her head- as if the very universe was working against her- her feet stumbled over a chunk of fallen rock that had rolled into her path, and at her level of panic and exhaustion it easily tripped her up and sent her flying forward and skidding onto the rough, stone ground. With hardly any time to cry out, she curled into a tight ball as tears sprung from her eyes. And, in that moment, amid the rumbling and the dust, Chandra thought of Gideon.

No longer being able to hear the falling rocks and feeling something heavy press down on her, she was sure she had died. Maybe her death had been instant, maybe fate had been kind to her and had given her a painless death- it wasn't much, but she was going to take what she could get at that point. However, as she opened her eyes- one and then the other, slowly- she came to find herself looking at the same stone tunnel clouded by disturbed dust and her own tears that streamed from her eyes and down her face. With a gasp, she looked up to see Avacyn, lying on top of her as if to protect her from falling debris that had never reached them. Chandra blinked once, twice, three times through her burning tears as she slowly grasped at the situation and dragged herself out of the haze of terror and panic.

"Wh... what?" She stammered as she focused behind Avacyn, coming to find the cave in had stopped just before reaching them. Rocks and mounds of dirt blocked their way back. A few smaller chunks of loose rock tumbled down the blockade, but for the most part the cave in had settled, and her and Avacyn had been left alive. Chandra felt a wave of relief wash over her- but her fears were only quenched and rinsed away for a moment.

Her... and Avacyn... and...

"Ral!" She gasped as she sat up, forcing Avacyn off of her. "Ral! Tibalt!" Frantically, she looked around, only finding the empty tunnel and a cloud of dust that surely wasn't thick enough to hide their other two companions from sight. Her heart sank and a nervous feeling built up in her gut as she slowly turned to the newly formed wall of fallen rock. "No..."

"Chandra, I-" Avacyn began to say before Chandra pushed her out of her way and scrambled over to the pile of rocks. With shaking hands, she attempted to dig away at the fallen rubble, only successfully removing a few small rocks and haphazardly throwing them over her shoulder before she came to a boulder that was either too heavy or too tight in place for her to move. But even so she tried, feeling sweat form upon her brow as fresh tears formed in her eyes and left trails as they glided down her dirt-covered face.

"RAL! TIBALT!" She cried. "PLEASE! ANSWER ME!"

"Chandra, please!" Avacyn begged as she grabbed at one of Chandra's hands and attempted to pull her away from the rubble. "You're only going to hurt yourself!"

"YOU'D BETTER NOT BE DEAD!" Chandra continued to scream, her one other free hand still desperately clawing at the rock as she fought against Avacyn as she attempted to tear her away from the wall of rocks. "IF YOU'RE DEAD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

" _Stop_!" Avacyn finally was forced to shout. Chandra jumped in surprise as she turned to face her friend, her eyes moist with tears. "There's nothing we can do now! Even if we could get to them, chances are it's already too late!" She immediately regretted that she had shouted as she watched Chandra's expression contort in sadness.

"No..." She sobbed. "That... That's... _No_..."

"Ah!" A surprised exclamation echoed from behind Avacyn. Defensively, she pressed herself closer to Chandra before looking over her shoulder with a warning glare. However, they had not been joined by another enemy, but Nissa, who spied them as she rounded a corner a short distance away from them. "Chandra! Avacyn!"

"Nissa!" Avacyn sighed in relief, stepping back from Chandra who had given up trying to dig her way through the wall and instead sat slumped on the ground in defeat. "Where are the others? Are they behind you?"

"I'm afraid not." Nissa shook her head as she heaved an exhausted sigh. "Liliana and I were separated from the others, and then she and I were forced to separate as well. I was hoping to find her, but at least I've found the two of you. And that's better than nothing, I suppose." She paused, as if she just then realized Avacyn's party was two members short, as well as the wall of rubble just behind them.

"Where are Ral and Tibalt? And what... happened here?" She asked, even though the look on her face made it seem she was piecing things together herself. Chandra looked away remorsefully, fresh tears springing from her eyes as Nissa's mouth fell open in shock.

"There was a cave-in." Avacyn informed her in a downtrodden tone. "Tibalt and Ral... they..."

"Don't even bother!" Chandra snapped, teary eyes still focused on the ground as she clenched her hands hanging at her sides into fists. "It's not like she's going to care anyway. They're just a couple of humans, so it really isn't going to matter to her anyway!"

"Chandra!" Avacyn gasped in a scolding tone before turning back to Nissa apologetically. However, before she had a chance to speak, Nissa lifted her hand to silence her and shook her head before walking over to the emotional pyromancer in question. Silently, she took a knee next to her, as Chandra flinched away. For a short while, Nissa merely sat beside Chandra in silence while she calmed down, wiping at her face and remaining leaned away from her. Nissa took a deep breath before speaking again, her gaze focused on the wall of fallen rocks.

"Do you really want to know if your friends are dead?" She offered in a surprisingly plain voice.

"Wh-!?" Chandra looked over to her, her expression changing several times, switching between angry, shocked, sad, and then right back to furious.

"It will give you peace of mind to know that they're either safe, or if there's no hope for them- now do you want to know or do you want to continue trying to dig your way through thousands of pounds of rocks?" She asked a little more firmly this time. Her eye's met Chandra's as the two of them stared one another down.

"...Fine." Chandra finally grumbled, and Nissa nodded before turning back to the collapsed tunnel. With a cleansing breath, she rested her hand on the ground before her, a brilliant green glow collecting at her fingertips. The once solid ground beneath her hand shifted, revealing roots that coiled out from under the ground like a mass of snakes and burrowed into gaps between the wall of rocks before them. She looked ahead, a look of concentration in her eyes as if she could see beyond the rubble. Chandra looked in the same direction, even though she could only see the rocks in front of her face and feel nothing but the suffocating weight of tension as she waited for Nissa to speak up.

"...It's strange..." The elf muttered to herself, furrowing her brow.

"What's strange?" Avacyn asked from behind them.

"I can't... feel anyone out there." Nissa explained, the look of focus on her face slowly morphing into frustration.

"Like... they're dead?" Chandra asked hesitantly, her voice cracking slightly.

"No..." Nissa shook her head. "I can't seem to find any bodies at all."

* * *

"Ugh..." Ral lifted his head, disoriented and sore. He opened his eyes to darkness and his lungs were filled with air that tasted like dirt and something off-puttingly moldy. His head ached and his ears were ringing, and it took him a few moments of groping around in the dark to realize that he was lying down on what felt like stairs. He cursed and swore under his breath as he felt around for a wall to balance himself against, instead finding a second body of someone who moaned in agony at his touch.

"T-Tibalt, is that you!?" He asked, recognizing the tone of voice, even in the dark. He backed away as much as he felt was necessary, hearing shifting and rusting sounds paired with grunts and moans from his companion as he righted himself.

"Yeah, it's me..." Tibalt confirmed before he summoned up a light with a rather ornate looking lighter- probably something Tibalt kept on his person for show rather than for actual use. The small flame lit the stairwell they had found themselves in with a warm glow, but also revealed they were the only two people in it.

"Where... where are the others!?" Ral gasped, looking around.

"Don't look at me! I called them over, and I only had time enough to grab you." Tibalt shrugged as he, too, began to look around until they saw the horrible sight waiting for them at the top of the stairs. A pile of rocks blocked their way out, leaving no way to escape but to head down.

"Shit!" Ral gasped as he clumsily leaped to his feet and staggered up the steps. Reaching the blocked exit, he immediately began trying to lift away the boulders to no avail. "Chandra, Avacyn!"

"Dude, give it up. If they're out there, there's no way they're alive!" Tibalt shouted. "And even if they are, by some miracle, do you really think you'll reach them in time using just your hands? You're hardly equipped to hold anything heavier than a lecture, much less a mountain of rocks!"

"Shut up!" Ral shouted, leaping down the steps to strike Tibalt with a blow that was hard enough to hurt his hand. Tibalt staggered backward, catching himself against one of the walls to keep himself from tumbling down the stone steps.

"What the _hell_!?" Tibalt snapped, nursing his cheek. "What was _that_ for!?"

"To get you to shut the hell up!" Ral shot back before looking at the mound of rocks. He hated even thinking it, but Tibalt was right. There was no way he'd be able to just dig his way out, and even together they wouldn't make much difference. And he _really_ didn't want to think of what had become of Chandra and Avacyn. With a grimace he looked away and back to Tibalt, who was now holding his face in agony, unable to get any more dramatic with just one hand free.

"Gods, for a nerd, you sure know how to punch a guy..." He muttered.

"We're heading out." Ral spoke sternly as he snatched the lighter from Tibalt.

"What!?" Tibalt gasped as he turned to watch Ral stubbornly descend the steps. "You can't be serious, right? After all that, you really want to keep going!?"

"We're going to be of zero help just sitting on our hands here. We need to keep going if we want to find the others- and, with any luck, with Chandra and Avacyn." Ral grumbled as he looked over his shoulder.

"But... Chandra and Avacyn are probably-"

"Finish that sentence and I will knock you out and leave you here!" Ral threatened. Tibalt snapped to attention, fear in his eyes as he yelped slightly and began following Ral down the steps.

"We can't guarantee Chandra and Avacyn died back there. There's still a chance they're alive." He muttered to himself as he continued down the steps, biting nail after nail from his free hand as they traveled deeper and deeper down. The stairs seemed to stretch on forever, leading them only deeper into the underground. "They have to be alive... they have to be..."

The deeper they went, strangely enough the more humid the air seemed to become. The steps at their feet became moist and slippery and the walls were covered in precipitation. Droplets of water fell from the ceiling,and the tiny noises of them connecting with the steps below echoed through the stairwell. And, all the while, Tibalt seemed to be growing more and more noticeably nervous, Ral noted. He wanted to simply shrug it off as Tibalt's usual behavior, but something about how he was acting seemed oddly knowing of their situation.

"If there's something you think I should know, now would be a really fine time to share with the class, Tibs." Ral grumbled.

"I-It's nothing... probably. I just... I think we-" Tibalt began before the two of them spied a light at what appeared to be finally the bottom of the steps. Both of them becoming distracted by what appeared to finally be an exit, they shared a relieved look and hastily descended the rest of the steps. But, much to Ral's surprise, his first step out of the narrow stairwell was into ankle-deep water.

"What!?" He gasped, leaping back up onto the steps and running into Tibalt. Taking a much closer look at where the stairs had led them, it appeared they had located an underground spring lit from all sides by crystals that gave off an eerie blue-green glow. Ral could see the steps continuing downward until they vanished beneath the darkness of the water, hinting that the body of water they had come across hadn't originally been there. From where he stood, Ral could make out several exits, some above the water, some half-flooded- it was just a matter of swimming across.

"Alright, navigator, which way from here?" Ral asked before he realized that Tibalt had gone from looking uncomfortable to looking genuinely afraid.

"Shit..." He gasped, taking a few fearful steps back up the stairs.

"What, afraid to get your fancy clothes a little wet?" Ral smirked before turning around and coming to find that they weren't alone. Rising above the dark waters and coming to stand on the rippling surface was Kiora, eyeing them with a chilling stare.

"Oh..." Ral gulped. " _That's_ what you meant by 'shit'."

"Tibalt, how good of you to join us." Kiora spoke up, a false smile on her lips. "And you brought us a little snack."

"She's lying, she's lying, I didn't 'bring you here'!" Tibalt gasped as Ral hit him with a suspicious glare.

"Oh, so what I've heard is true then? You've really risen against us and our cause?" Kiora asked with a tilt of her head. "What a shame for someone to throw their life away that that. No matter though, I guess that just means more food for us."

"Y-you keep on saying 'us'. What do you mean by that?" Ral asked, though something in his git told him he wasn't going to like the answer. "Aside from us, you're the only one here!"

"Oh, on the contrary, Ral, I never travel alone." Kiora smirked as the surface of the water began to ripple from below her and the watery chamber began to rumble subtly. "And it would be a little unfair if it was both of you versus little old me. So it would only be fair that I brought along a friend."

Just then something massive broke free from the water's surface- and then another, and then another as Kiora herself was lifted from the water she once appeared to be standing upon by something gigantic that rose her high above both Ral and Tibalt. A powerful screech, similar to what they had heard back before the cave-in, shook the watery chamber.

At first it seemed as if they were surrounded, but upon closer inspection, it appeared most of the things that had risen up from the water were massive tentacles that waved and lashed about, disturbing the water's surface and slamming against the stone walls all around them. They appeared to belong to the impossibly huge kraken that Kiora was standing on top of- which wasn't much of a trade-off, really.

"W-what are we going to do!?" Tibat cried out, taking more steps back as the water was splashed up onto the stairs.

"Well, we don't have much choice, do we?" Ral asked as the gauntlet on his wrist whirred and sparked to life. "We have to fight."

* * *

It had taken some convincing and twice as much coaxing and little bit of dragging, but Nissa and Avacyn had both eventually managed to convinced Chandra to continue to run the maze, the fate of their friends still unknown to them. Nissa had searched and searched, but had only come up with the same result each time: Tibalt and Ral's bodies were nowhere to be found within the rubble, which was both a relief and a gigantic concern. Chandra had insisted they keep looking, but Nissa knew a lost cause when she saw it, and Avacyn insisted that they keep moving. A two against one vote was what brought Chandra there, and she looked hardly at all happy about it.

"I still think we should have kept on searching..." Chandra grumbled.

"The way I see it, your friends weren't anywhere in that rubble." Nissa assured her, feeling like she'd done so more than enough times. "It's best to assume that they managed to escape somehow and have just been directed to a different part of the maze."

"But... but what if-!?" Chandra began to protest.

"Your optimism truly must be why your friends are drawn to you." Nissa interrupted her sarcastically. "Maybe being so sure that the worst has happened isn't good for your health?"

"Maybe actually giving a shit would be good for you!" Chandra shot back before Avacyn looked back at the both of them and shushed them.

"What!? She started it!" Chandra groaned.

"I hear something." Avacyn explained, pressing a finger to her lips as her and the other two took pause. Sure enough, they could hear the sound of footsteps growing closer and closer from around a nearby corner. Avacyn, without a word, nodded to her companions before summoning her spear. They nodded back, both of them preparing their own spells as they apprehensively watched the corner. Tension built and built as the three of them braced themselves to fly into action.

However, the tension and readiness to fight quickly dissipated as they're "opponent" turned the corner and leaped in the air in surprise when they came to find the three of them standing at the ready for some kind of battle.

"Gideon!" Chandra gasped, the flames she had summoned snuffing themselves out completely and leaving only smoke.

"You guys! You're alright!" Gideon beamed as Chandra shoved her way passed Nissa and Avacyn to throw herself into Gideon's waiting arms. She threw her arms around him, as if to keep him from leaving, and buried her face against his chest. Gideon embraced her back, unable to restrain himself as he lifted her feet clean off the ground and spun around in place.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Chandra practically cheered.

"I'm alright? I'm glad _you're_ alright!" Gideon retorted. "You had me worried sick!"

"Heh, I promise to keep an eye out for holes opening up in the floor next time." Chandra chuckled, rolling her eyes before Avacyn, to the side of them, cleared her throat.

"O-oh, right, sorry," Gideon nervously chuckled as he sat Chandra down. "Glad to see you guys are safe, too. But... where are the others?"

"Nissa lost track of Liliana and we were... separated from Ral and Tibalt." Avacyn explained, eyeing Chandra before she could speak up about just how they had been "separated" from Tibalt and Ral. "What about Lavinia and Tajic?"

"Tajic was injured- but he's alright, don't worry! Lavinia stayed behind with him to make sure his wounds healed!" Gideon assured them. "She sent me on ahead so that we could still make progress, even without them."

"Well, hopefully nothing at all bad happens on their end. But now that we've found you, things are starting to look up, seeing as you're the one who Ral entrusted to hold onto the spell we need." Avacyn said with a smile, which somehow made Gideon alarmingly nervous.

"U-Um... right... about that..." Gideon gulped, punctuating himself with a disheartened, nervous laugh.

"Gideon...?" Chandra questioned suspiciously. " _What happened_?"

"What, no- nothing happened... Well... actually, that's a lie..." Gideon mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... well... you guys better promise not to hurt me or anything!"

"What did you _do_!?" Nissa chimed in, looking like she wasn't at all about to make any such promise to Gideon.

"I... I..." Gideon stammered, breaking out into a sweat under the angry gaze of all three of the girls. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't want to, but I was forced to use up the spell!"

"You _WHAT_!?" Chandra shrieked. "Gideon, that was our only chance at all of getting Jace back, you massive numbskull!"

"I'm sorry, alright? But if I hadn't used it, people would have died!" Gideon attempted to shoot back, although his retort lacked the bite that Chandra's did. "I-If it's any consolation, it wasn't a waste- the spell worked!"

"Of _course_ it worked! I was _supposed_ to work!" Chandra groaned, throwing her hands up angrily into the air. "But now we have nothing to work _with_! Might as well kiss the multiverse goodbye at this point! Might as well serve it up to Bolas on a silver platter!"

"I... I didn't have a choice!" Gideon attempted to defend himself.

"Well now we _really_ don't have a choice!" Chandra retorted, fire in her eyes and venom in her voice. "Now our only option is to give up!"

"Chandra, stop!" Nissa spoke up, resting her hand on the angry pyromancer's shoulder, who whipped around and tore herself away. "What Gideon did was foolish, but that doesn't leave us without any chance of getting out of this."

"What are you talking about?" Chandra asked sharply.

"Liliana said something to me before we were separated- about how Jace is still fully conscious about what he's doing, even under Bolas' control." Nissa explained. "It's a stretch, but maybe there's a chance she might be able to reach that part of him that's inside of him, watching from the inside."

"But... don't you you think that sounds a little too far fetched?" Chandra questioned, sounding unconvinced.

"Of course it does, but right now, it seems that's all we have." Nissa sighed. "We can't risk giving up, not now. We can only do that once we've exhausted all our options, and right now our hopes lie with Liliana. The only thing we can do at this point is to have faith in her and keep running the maze."

"Nissa's right." Avacyn nodded. "What we need to focus on is finding Liliana so we can tell her."

"Now, I wouldn't be so hasty." A mysterious voice suddenly cut in, causing each of them to jump and look wildly around for the speaker before they emerged from the darkness ahead. Standing before them, with their hands in the pockets of their hoodie, was Ashiok. "I'm sorry, but I can't let any of you continue any further. Liliana is just going to have to go it alone without you."

"Pretty strong words for someone going up against four other people." Chandra narrowed her eyes. "If you don't want your ass handed to you, you'll ignore Bolas' orders and let us through."

"Oh, but I'm not here because that fool of a dragon sent me." Ashiok shook with head with a smirk. "It's more a matter of... self preservation than anything else. I've waited long enough for this, and I refuse to have any of you ruining what I've been building up to."

"What do you mean?" Gideon questioned, looking as if he was ready to jump into battle- as did everyone else.

"Oh, dear, are you really going to have me tell you? It's quite an old and boring story- to me at least." Ashiok sighed. "It starts to get old after thousands of years, you know?"

"Thousands...?" Nissa muttered. Ashiok sneered at this, as if she had amused them.

"Do you ever wonder why Bolas had the foresight to invade Ravnica? He's quite good at manipulating people, but he doesn't have any power to see into the future." They explained. "The chips have fallen, thousands of years after the fact, a little too conveniently in his favor for this all to have been one, big accident, don't you think? And Bolas, even for an absolute moron, would never just waste all of his resources to invade a single plane for no good reason. Have you ever once questioned why all of this is?"

"What, are you saying _you're_ behind all of it?" Chandra asked in a sarcastic huff.

"Heh, that's exactly what I'm saying- or, more to the point, the fault truly lies with Jace Beleren, the man who gave me life and a purpose in this world." Ashiok grinned widely, almost victoriously.

"W-what!?" Gideon gasped. "That... that doesn't make any sense!"

"Of course it doesn't- not without a little elaboration." They chuckled back, suddenly vanishing in a moat of smoke that whipped passed them only to reform on the opposite side of them. Their hood that usually hid their face had been pulled back, revealing half their face consumed by smoke that seemed to billow about almost like fabric. Two long, pointed horns could be seen rising from the blackness, and the only thing that stood out clearly was their sickening grin.

"The madness of the Living Guildpact was a very powerful thing indeed. He brought the entirety of Ravnica to it's knees and cursed the very plane to be a purgatory for everyone who lived there. He constructed the very cache of mana that lies at the end of this maze, ensuring that only he would be the one to open it, and then he died, taking the secret of how to lift the curse with him. It was a beautiful sight to behold, not for only that, but because that was the event that triggered my very birth. I, Ashiok, am Jace Beleren's madness personified, and my only wish is to carry out his own: to drag this world and the multiverse into a living nightmare.

"I was sent throughout time and space, to wherever any iteration of 'Jace Beleren' existed, living as his shadow in the multiverse. And, of course, one of my many tasks, was to insight the invasion of Ravnica, over and over again to preserve my existence." They continued, seeming almost giddy about telling their tale. "Seeking out Bolas and tempting him with the kind of power that exists at the end of this very maze was very easy, but I've grown tired of waiting. I've waited thousands of years, and I can only survive off of your nightmares for so long."

"Nightmares..." Chandra muttered, her eyes growing wide. "You... you're the reason for our nightmares!?"

"I see my handiwork precedes me." They laughed. "Your nightmares of your past lives have kept me going all these years as I laid dormant, waiting for the rebirth of Jace Beleren, and they have sated me while I waited for him to return here- but I've lived off of scraps and repetitive nightmares for long enough! Bolas promised me one thing in exchange for leading him this far, and that was to give me Ravnica so that I could turn it into a plane of nightmares- carrying out the Living Guilpact's wish, as intended, and giving me the strength to extend my reach elsewhere. That idiot dragon doesn't realize how precarious his seat atop his thrown is, and he won't until I come and snatch it from him. In the end, he's just as much a pawn as all of you are. All of you- each and every last one of you- are pieces in the endgame set up by the Living Guildpact!"

"Well, hate to tell you, bub, but these 'pieces' are pretty good at fighting back!" Chandra shot back, summoning a mighty flame in each of her hands. "Your whole grand plan ends here!"

"Well, if anything I respect your enthusiasm- it makes things all the more fun to extinguish your hope and your faith." Ashiok smirked, hardly put off by the roaring flames, as well as everyone else who seemed ready to fight them. "Although hand-to-hand combat is hardly my forte. I'd say my methods are a little... more intimate."

With their last words hissed, something seemed to settle in the air that made it difficult for the rest of them to stand. Mana that they drew from seemed to vanish completely, leaving them weak. Falling to their knees, Ashiok stood triumphantly above them, watching everything play out with a twisted smile on their face.

"What... what did you...?" Nissa mumbled, her eyelids growing heavy.

"Just preparing the battlefield a little." Ashiok explained giddily. "I'll be seeing all of you soon... in your nightmares."


	48. Your Living Nightmare

Nissa awoke with a start, sweat gliding down her face from her brow. Her heart pounded against her chest as her vision reeled while her stomach lurched slightly. Her memories were foggy, even though she was trying to recall something that had happened moments before... or had they been? They seemed so distant and fuzzy she could hardly tell. She had somebody to save... but who? Something to do with nightmares lingered in her memory, a cruel smile... Maybe it had happened a long time ago after all. That still didn't explain why she had woken up so panicked.

From where she lay, Nissa could see the tops of trees, their branches practically overflowing with leaves, and she could hear... was it the sound of distant thunder or explosions? The air smelled of dirt and of sweat and something perturbing she didn't want to specify for herself. Beneath her, she could feel cloth that was crusty from overuse, and the rough sensation of gravel. Her entire body ached, but not terribly so. Slowly observing her senses one by one, she finally managed to make a sound- an exhausted groan that came out wavering and cracked from her dry throat.

And then, all at once, her vision of the intricately decorated ceiling and leafy trees were blocked out by a familiar visage, and all of Nissa's senses were focused on one, single thing: Emmara. She gazed back at her with relief and tears welling in her eyes through messy hair that fell in her face. Her pale face was moist and glistening with sweat, and her shoulders raised and fell with each ragged breath. Nissa could feel the elven woman's silky hair caressing her skin warmly, along with her long, draping robes. Her heart fluttered amid the confusion and the pain before Emmara threw herself onto her, wrapping her arms around her as she sobbed.

"Thank the gods!" She cried, burying her face against her neck. Nissa's body stiffened, unsure of whether or not she should embrace her companion back, or if she should just lie still and allow herself to be hugged. "You're alive, thank the gods!"

"E... Emmara..." Nissa muttered before a flurry of memories that were almost alien to her flashed before her eyes. Emmara in a wedding dress, looking forlorn, Emmara sitting in a room she had sworn she had seen before, crying, Emmara in a lab coat in an infirmary, drinking tea and laughing, Emmara lying unresponsive in a hospital bed, her eyes closed no matter how much Nissa called her name- Had it all been just a dream? Had it all just been in her head? Nissa's body felt exhausted and heavy just thinking about it as tears sprung from her own eyes. Finally finding the strength to move, she wrapped Emmara in an equally warm embrace, nuzzling her face against her bosom. "Emmara!"

"They found you on the battlefield, bloodied and broken! They told me that it wasn't any use, but I didn't want to hear it!" Emmara explained tearfully. "I'm so glad I didn't listen... I'm so glad you're alive, Nissa." Just hearing Emmara say her name sent a shiver through her body. It reminded her there was something she had to tell her... something important.

"E-Emmara..." Nissa groaned as she slowly, shakily sat up.

"Oh! Please, don't push yourself! You need to rest!" Emmara insisted, resting her hands on her shoulders.

"I know but... There's something I need to tell you..." Nissa muttered. There were a lot of things she wanted to say, and she hoped the thing she was looking for would stand out in her mind as she spoke, but her mind only swam. There had been something important, something very, very important... "Emmara, I-"

"Huh?" Emmara suddenly turned away from her as the sound of doors swinging open filled the room they were in. Nissa attempted to hide her annoyance as she, too, looked in the same direction- before her stomach felt like it dropped all the way to her toes and the sensation that the ground had vanished from below her made it feel as if she were falling. Panic set in once again, and her heart began to thud against her chest wildly.

There, at the doors to the inner garden, stood Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact. And even though Emmara stood to greet him, all Nissa could think to do was run. But why- and why did all of this seem so familiar? The look in Jace's eyes, the way he held himself, the haunting aura that surrounded him- they were all unnerving and altogether... familiar.

_I've seen this all before... haven't I?_

"Jace!" Emmara greeted worryingly as she ran over to him. "Are you hurt? Please, let me help you!"

_No... no this can't be happening! Emmara, please, run!_

"J-Jace... Is everything alright?" Emmara stammered as she reached him, only getting a cold look from him in return.

_Emmara, run! Get away from him, please..._

"Emmara!" Nissa finally found the words to shout, although it hurt her body to do so. "Stop!"

"What?" Emmara looked back at Nissa in confusion before whirling back around to look at Jace. Time itself seemed to slow for Nissa as she watched as Emmara's eyes grew wide in terror, as if she experienced the single-most horrifying thing in her life in that one, split second. Despite her body aching, Nissa forced herself to scramble to her feel, each movement feeling like it took an eternity. However, just as she solidly stood to her feet, arm reached out in desperation towards Emmara, that split second of fear that washed over her had passed, and she watched helplessly as her body fell limply at Jace's feet.

_No... No! Not again! Not this again!_

Tears rolled down Nissa's cheeks as she began to charge, unable to summon up anything intelligible passed a shrill, almost feral yell. She was angry- full of rage that was projected completely at Jace... but also at herself.

_I let her down again. I couldn't save Emmara again! Why can't I ever reach her in time!? Why can't I ever save her!?_

Jace merely smirked at Nissa's furry as she stampeded in his direction, and she caught a look in his eyes that sent a shiver up her spine as the seconds, once again, began to slow.

 _Is this my punishment? Is this punishment because I abandoned my home? Because I loved_ her _more?_

Nissa's body shuddered as a pain as brief as a blink of an eye ran through her brain. She felt every cell within burst and die in one, cruel wave as blinding pain almost immediately faded into nothingness. Her body went limp and her thoughts became a mad scramble before slipping from her altogether. Her vision, as it grew dark, rested on Emmara who lay at Jace's feet. She seemed to look back at her with wide, but blank, eyes- they almost seemed to mock her.

_I wish I'd never loved at all..._

Nissa awoke with a start, sweat gliding down her face from her brow. Her heart pounded against her chest as her vision reeled while her stomach lurched slightly. Her memories were foggy, even though she was trying to recall something that had happened moments before... or had they been? They seemed so distant and fuzzy she could hardly tell. She had somebody to save... but who? Something to do with nightmares lingered in her memory, a cruel smile... Maybe it had happened a long time ago after all. That still didn't explain why she had woken up so panicked.

_Emmara!_

With a gasp, Nissa threw herself into a sitting position- which she immediately regretted as her body was rocked with pain. She cringed and crumpled to her side, propping herself up on an arm as she clenched her teeth. That's right... she had to save Emmara. Emmara, who was...

With a gasp, she looked to the garden doors, but she came to find no one standing there. No ominous cloaked figure, no person lying at their feet. Aside from the dozens of wounded that lied along the ground, the room seemed peaceful and the battle outside sounded far off. Nissa panted, hanging her head as she heaved an exhausted sigh.

"Nissa!" A voice gasped in surprise, and she turned to see Emmara running to her side and dropping to the ground beside her, dirtying the already tarnished, white fabric of her clothes. "Nissa! You're... You're awake!" She seemed to relieved, to the point of tears as she reached out and wrapped her arms around her. "I thought I'd lost you! Thank the gods!"

"Emmara..." Nissa rested her head against the elven woman's shoulder as she looked back at the doors that led outside the garden. In her exhaustion and in her relief, there rose a will to act. She'd been given a second chance and she was going to take it. "Emmara, we need to get out of here!"

"E-Excuse me?" Emmara stammered as Nissa struggled from her embrace and shakily stood to her feet. "Nissa, I don't understand..."

"I'll explain everything later!" Nissa insisted, reaching out and taking Emmara's hand. "We need to go now, before-..." Nissa bit her lip.

"...Before what, Nissa?" Emmara inquired. "There's something not telling me... you're scaring me, Nissa!"

"You won't believe me if I tell you now! But please, you have to come with me!" Nissa practically begged. "Please... we need to go, _now_!"

Emmara wavered a bit, looking down at the ground in discomfort before standing to her feet. Nissa couldn't help but feel a little bad, but she had no time to explain herself further as she forcefully led Emmara to the doors and out of the room. She guided Emmara down the corridors of the conclave, darting this way and that, almost at random- anything to get as far away from _him_ as possible. This time, she'd save Emmara! This time, she'd keep her from getting hurt. This time-!

As they rounded the corner, Nissa felt every last shred of hope that had built within her shrivel and die. There, standing before the both of them, was Jace Beleren, looking back at them coldly and victoriously. With a gasp, she attempted to turn back and flee, but in an instant, Emmara let go of her hand and fell limply to the floor like a rag doll. She heard her body flop against the marble floor before she looked down to see it. Once again she saw those eyes, still wide from fright but empty and dead. Once again, Nissa felt herself overcome by despair.

"No..." She squeaked before falling to her knees, her hands shakily hovering over her friend's lifeless body. "No... No, no, no, no, _NO_!" She reached out and grasped at Emmara's dirtied clothes, shaking her body as if she were trying to wake her up from the dead. "Why!? Why can't I... ever..." Tears blurred her vision and stung her eyes as she let out an ugly sob.

"This is your curse." Jace, who was now standing over her, spoke almost too plainly. "This is your punishment for abandoning Zendikar. Just as you were never able to save the place you claimed you loved, you'll never be able to save the person who stole your heart.

"I'm sorry..." Nissa sobbed, looking up to Jace and apologizing as if he were the physical amalgamation of the plane she had run from. "I'm sorry! I'm so... so... sorry!"

"Apologies are useless here." he smirked. "This is your nightmare, and it will never end."

* * *

Avacyn opened her eyes, feeling as if she had just woken from sleep even though she was standing- and in the living room of her home, no less. She looked around frantically, attempting to get her bearings. Hadn't she just been in the maze? Hadn't they been facing off against Ashiok? What was she doing back home, in the dead of night- judging by the open curtains anyway that were letting in pale moonlight. All of them had been drawn, strangely enough, filling the entire house with the white glow from outside. Even when she was home alone, Avacyn had always made certain to only open a few, as to not cause any trouble for Sorin when night dragged on into daytime. She had no memory of doing it herself, so who...?

The faint noise of something moving about the house in the darkness caught her attention. Avacyn whipped around, eyes darting from side to side. Something wasn't right, and she knew it from the moment she had opened her eyes. She was supposed to be in the maze. She was supposed to be with her friends.

"I shouldn't be here..." She muttered to herself before something else moving about in the darkness alerted her, but as she turned around, there was nothing there. Avacyn stood her ground, remaining in the ray of moonlight that was cast across the floor, just a step and a half from the darkness that consumed the rest of the house.

"Who's there!?" She called into the shadows, eyes darting every which way. She heard them moving- their footsteps, their breathing. They were getting closer, erratically moving about, as it to elude her. "Show yourself!"

"You shouldn't be here." A familiar voice answered back before the speaker stepped into a separate beam of light. Avacyn's mouth fell open slightly, feeling like she was looking into a mirror as she came face to face with... herself. The other Avacyn looked back at her coldly, tossing her silvery-white hair over her shoulder as she regarded Avacyn with a cruel glance. "You were gotten rid of a long time ago."

"A long time ago...?" Avacyn questioned, cocking an eyebrow as she felt her heart skip a beat. "... Gotten _rid of_?"

"Or maybe you're a specter of the one who came before me- a ghost holding on to something in this life, perhaps..." The other Avacyn sighed, as if it was all just one big bother as she looked outside. "You shouldn't be here. Your usefulness ended long ago." The way she spoke, the manner in which she held herself and the chilling look in her eyes reminded Avacyn of someone- like an old accomplice she hadn't seen in years. They reminded her so very much of... herself- the old her.

"What are you talking about- and who are you!?" Avacyn demanded. "And what are you doing in my home!?"

" _My_ home." Her doppelganger responded sternly. "This place is no longer yours, and neither is your title. My name is Avacyn, guardian angel of Ravnica. I am everything you could have been and everything you couldn't be."

"But... that doesn't make any sense!" Avacyn shouted, feeling a lump grow in her throat. "Why...?"

"You were defective. Your job was to protect the people of this plane and you failed, time and again. You stayed from your former path." The other Avacyn elaborated. "So Sorin did away with you, and created me in your place, and I have done far beyond what you were ever capable of- the daughter to be truly proud of."

"No... no, this can't be happening!" Avacyn shook her head before approaching her double. "You're lying!" She reached out to grab the other Avacyn's shoulder, but her hand passed right through. With a gasp she stumbled back, looking down at her hand in fright. "This... can't be..."

"Your time has come and gone, Avacyn." The other spoke coldly. "You should be happy, though. I have done your job in your place magnificently. All is well here in Ravnica, even without you. You must be able to understand that, at least. It is a good thing that I was put in your place. There's no need to cling to this world as you do."

"No!" Avacyn cried. "You're lying!"

Just then, the front door just behind her opened, and the other Avacyn quickly disengaged, going to greet whoever had opened the door. Avacyn whirled around and froze in place as she came to find who it was.

"Father!" She gasped, rushing after the other Avacyn, but Sorin didn't seem to notice Avacyn was there. He only regarded her copy, greeting her warmly and running his fingers through her hair. Neither of them spoke, but their eyes spoke a thousand words in a language only they were fluent in. And all Avacyn could do was watch.

"Father... why?" Avacyn asked, although she was certain she'd get no answer in return. "Why would you do this? I thought... I was fine the way I was... so why...?" It was something the logical side of her brain had already predicted, but it was no less painful when Sorin didn't answer or even acknowledge she was there. She reached out, but her hands phased right through him as they had with the other Avacyn, who began to lead him away, starting up conversation with asking how his day had been. And as they parted, she looked over to Avacyn with an icy glare that didn't need any words for her to decipher it's meaning.

" _You don't belong here anymore."_

"No..." Avacyn muttered as she stumbled backwards into the shadows and sank to her knees. "This can't be... this just... can't..." Tears fell from her eyes and splashed against her hands as she balled them into fists and pressed them against the hardwood floor.

She could hear the two of them talking, but she couldn't bring herself to actually listen in. They reminded her of how she had been before- her blank stare, the conversation that didn't seem to boil to anything passed what had happened that day, the lingering look of pride in Sorin's eyes as he watched her poor him blood wine. Had those days really been so ideal? Had those days when she was nothing but an extension of his will really what he had wanted all along? Had Sorin been simply putting up with her?

He seemed to happy with her, though, so... _content_.

"I don't belong here any more..." Avacyn sobbed to herself, hanging her head. "I'm nothing but a phantom..."

* * *

Gideon jumped in surprise as a loud rumble shook him back into consciousness. With a gasp he threw his head back, accidentally slamming it against a wall he had been leaning against. Surprise quickly leading into pain left him feeling dizzy as he gripped his head and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. Another rumble from somewhere shook wherever he was, and for the life of him he couldn't remember how he'd gotten there, or what he'd been doing before. It had been something incredibly important- he felt that at least- but he couldn't quite come to grips with everything through the haze of confusion and the pain now radiating from the back of his skull.

"Commander!" A voice seemed to call out from a distance, echoing and barely climbing over the thunderous noise that rocked where Gideon had found himself, but he soon found they hadn't been far away at all as a hand clamped down roughly on his shoulder. With a quick, sharp inhale, Gideon looked up to find Avacyn looking back at him. She wore torn and tattered army fatigues and slightly damaged body armor- a strange clash between modern and ancient design- and her once long, flowing hair had been cut messily shorter. Her face was smudged with dirt and grime and she looked back at him with exhaustion in her eyes. Her presence seemed to only add to the feeling of confusion Gideon fought against, but he had to say something as she shook him urgently. "Commander! We need to retreat!"

"Wh-what!?" Gideon gasped as he looked from side to side. They seemed to be in a building- a hallway lined with doors, some hanging off their hinges. The entire hallway seemed to be in utter disrepair, but even still, Gideon could still recognize it: they were at the dorms. Another discovery that seemed to lead only to confusion. "What's... Avacyn, what's going on!?"

"We can't take this place back like you had hoped. The enemy's forces are too strong, we need to fall back, _now_!" She insisted, thrusting her hand under his arm and pulling him up, forcing him to stand. "The loss of life is too great already! It will do nothing for moral if we lose everyone- especially you, commander!"

Her words washed over him, dragging him deeper and deeper down into a state of panic. Enemy's forces? Loss of life? Why was she calling him commander? What was happening!? He had so many questions and no time to answer them as Avacyn grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him down the hall. He stumbled over rubble, looking back over his shoulder. What had happened to the once peaceful lace he had called home? What was happening at all!?

The entire dorm building was about in the same state as Avacyn led Gideon out. Collapsed stairs, the glass of broken windows crunching under their feet, entire sections of the building completely decimated- the place was almost unrecognizable. Gawking at everything while trying to find some sort of answer in all of the chaos, Gideon barely heard the sound of someone crying for help. He tugged against Avacyn's grip, attempting to run in the direction he heard the voice, but she pulled him back.

"Commander, no!" She shouted. "Please, it's too late for them!"

"What are you talking about!?" Gideon shot back, feeling more panicked than furious. "Somebody need's help, we can't just abandon them!"

"No, please!" Avacyn practically begged as she pulled at his arm a second time. "Trust me, we can't-" Gideon freed himself from her grip and cut her off, but something in her eyes made him regret his decision as he turned to find whoever it was who had been calling for help. It didn't take very long to find, under a freshly fallen pile of rubble, half of their body buried and one of their arms pinned beneath a steal beam. It took a split second for Gideon to recognize who it was, and another to cry out in anguish.

"Tajic!" Gideon shouted as he dropped to his knees. His friend, looking weak and pale, coughed in agony, a spray of blood exiting his lips. "Shit! Tajic! Don't worry, I'll get you out of here!"

"I-I can't... I can't feel anything..." Tajic stammered weakly before coughing again. "Am I... am I alright? Am I gonna..." Gideon grunted as he attempted to lift the rubble, but he couldn't seem to get enough of a grip with his sweaty palms and strength seemed to leave his body quickly as he slipped in a pool of his friend's own blood. And all the while, Tajic went on talking, his tone a terrifying combination of fright and exhaustion. "My arm... I can't move my arm... I'm sorry... I'm... I'm so..."

"I'm going to get you out of here!" Gideon practically screamed as he continued to attempt to move the rubble, eyes fixed forward. He refused to look down at the gore he was possibly uncovering- at the blood or his friend, weak and pale from blood loss. "I'm going to get you out of here, don't you worry!"

"Commander, stop!" He heard Avacyn shout, feeling her tug him back. With a pained shout, he pulled away from her, returning to trying to move the unmovable mountain of concrete and steal that was crushing his friend. "There's no saving him! Please, you'll only hurt yourself!"

"Shut up!" Gideon cried, eyes welling up with tears. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" As he shouted, every last ounce of strength seemed to drain out of his body as he sank to his knees, hands still pushing against the rubble.

"It's... It's fine, commander..." Tajic sputtered, blood pooling around his lips as he looked blankly forward. "I... I can finally see Lavinia again... I can... I..." His words became a hoarse whisper before fading out entirely, his coughing ceasing and his ragged breathing reduced to silence. Gideon stared down at him with wide eyes, reaching down and resting his hands on his body.

"Tajic... Tajic, buddy, hey!" He shook him, but he might as well have been shaking an inanimate object the way he moved. "Tajic! Tajic, please! Please don't leave me!" Tears poured from Gideon's eyes as he bowed his head and buried his face against Tajic's dirty, bloodied jacket. "Please... Tajic..."

"Commander, we need to go!" Avacyn insisted. "There's nothing we can do for him now, please!" Another rumble shook the foundation of the crumbling dorm building, but Gideon lifted his head with very little urgency as he turned to Avacyn with tear-filled eyes.

"Avacyn... what happened to Lavinia?" He asked, unsure if he'd even like the answer.

"Sir, you were there, why are you-?"

"What happened to Lavinia!?" Gideon repeated, shouting his time as his hands that still clutched at Tajic's corpse quivered. " _Tell me_!" Avacyn stepped backward in surprise, cocking an eyebrow at him questioningly before turning away from him. The words that came out of her out were bitter sounding, like she blamed him somehow.

"She died a few weeks back in battle, sir- went out alone after we were forced to fall back."

Gideon felt his heart sink, but he continued to speak, as if he were asking for punishment.

"What about Jace?" He asked in a wavering tone. "What about Liliana, Nissa, and Ral!?" The look she gave him was hardly comforting- a twisted combination of regret and anger, but still, he continued. "Avacyn... what happened to Chandra?"

"These are all very unimportant questions." She replied dryly. "You must have hit your head back there if you're asking about all of them-"

"Tell me!" Gideon insisted harshly, causing Avacyn to flinch slightly.

"Commander... I'm sorry..." Avacyn muttered. "We've lost so much... this is war, after all. We were unprepared. We should have listened..."

"No..." Gideon's words were strangled by a lump growing hot and heavy in his throat.

"This... this is our punishment for standing against Nicol Bolas..." Avacyn continued on, balling her fists. "We won, but at what cost? We exposed Ravnica to so much danger... We did this to ourselves... We doomed this plane when we thought we were saving it."

"Why..." Gideon muttered. "Why did this happen?"

"Because we thought we were doing the right thing." Avacyn responded coldly. "This is where it's gotten us. This is what our good deeds have earned us. No matter how we struggle or fight or say we're doing the right thing... we are destined to suffer."

* * *

Chandra awoke to silence. The only sound that filled her ears was her own breathing as she looked down at her hands that were clasped neatly in her lap. The air smelled of dust and something floral hung in the air along with it. Her entire body felt heavy, coming to realized she was slouched in a chair- or rather a bench- she raised her head, finding herself in the back row of a dozen other rows of benches. She looked about, her vision still a bit blurry. It didn't take long, judging by the layout, to figure she was in the old church building on the edge of campus- oddly set up as if some kind of event had been staged there.

"What...?" She sleepily mumbled as she rubbed at her eyes. "Why am I...?"

Her eyes finally focusing, she began to make out flower arrangements lined up long the walls of the place, as well as a large gathering of them near the front. The excess amount of white blossoms were probably what was causing the entire room to smell overwhelmingly of flowers, and among the huge arrangements of them at the front of the church, she could see a photograph nestled among them, and a large, black slab that the bunches of white petals neatly surrounded. Chandra hadn't been to many in her life- mostly for aging grandparents and in movies- but she knew it when she saw it: She was at a funeral.

"What the hell?" She muttered to herself as she rose to her feet and shuffled her way into the isle. She stood at a distance, feeling a nervous sensation building in her gut. Why was she attending a funeral? Whose funeral was it? From where she stood she couldn't see inside what she now identified as a clearly opened coffin or make out the face in the photograph that was just barely covered up by surrounding flowers. She contemplated simply turning around and leaving, but something compelled her to remain, and then to proceed forward.

"Poor girl..." Chandra gasped, hearing whispers, but not seeing any people. She whipped her head around, but saw no one- no groups of people whispering in the wings, lingering by the door, or hiding among the flowers. Not a soul sat on any of the benches, and yet she still heard voices. "Imagine how she must feel..."

"To lose someone she was so close to..." Another voice hissed. Chandra looked over her other shoulder but, once again, found nothing. "I simply can't imagine."

"She's so brave coming here." Yet another disembodied voice chimed in. "It must have been hard..."

"Who's there!?" She shouted. "If this is some kind of prank, it stopped being funny a while ago!" But no one answered, and the church became deathly quiet again. Chandra narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she turned back the the coffin. Something inside her begged her not to continue, but Chandra had never been one to follow anyone's orders. With a gulp, she pressed forward, making it all the way to the steps leading up to where the coffin was displayed. She could make out the photograph a little better, although who it was of was still just barely obscured. It looked like a school photo- whoever the funeral was for must not have been very old. And once again, Chandra was filled with the feeling that she should stop and turn around. Her conscience begged her not to continue- not to feed her curiosity any longer. However, once again, something urged Chandra forward.

And then, all at once, the feeling that she had to turn her tail and flee was replaced completely by regret and pain. The picture in the frame was now in plain view and the body in the coffin was visible now that she was at the top of the steps. Chandra felt her legs grow weak as she reached out to support herself on the nearby railing. Despair hit her like a speeding truck, ripping the air right out of her lungs and robbing her of every ounce of strength she had. She gasped for breath as she struggled to stand, her mouth hanging open wide.

"No..." She gasped breathlessly, covering her mouth with hand in shock and to try and keep herself from possibly vomiting. "... Gideon."

She staggered over to the coffin, catching herself on the wooden frame as she looked down into the fabric-lined box. There lay Gideon, looking so peaceful it seemed as if he were only sleeping. But Chandra knew that wasn't true, her surroundings were enough to convince her he wasn't simply taking a nap. The color in his cheeks was all the work of makeup, the coffin his final resting place.

"How could this have happened?" She sobbed, tears streaking down her cheeks as she clutched the edge of the coffin so hard that it hurt. "Why... Why did this happen?"

"I warned you about this, you know?" A shockingly familiar voice chuckled. Chandra's head snapped up as she came to find Baltrice, of all people, standing on the other side of the coffin with a smirk on her lips and strangely not burned to a crisp as Chandra so clearly remembered her.

"What are you doing here!?" She shrieked as she backed up into the pulpit in surprise. "You... you died..."

"Oh... I _did_ , didn't I?" Baltrice sighed, shockingly calm as she looked down at her hand as if she, too, were a little surprised she had appeared. "Maybe I'm a ghost. Or maybe I dug my way right out of hell so I could rub all of this in your face." She sneered as she walked around the coffin, running her hands along the wood that caught fire as she touched it.

"No!" Chandra shouted as she ran forward, only to be stopped as Baltrice grabbed at her wrists. She struggled against her grip, but could do nothing to free herself as Gideon's coffin began to burn. "Let me go! Gideon!" She cried desperately.

"I warned you about this, you stupid bitch, but did you listen?" Baltrice snarled. "I told you there were horrors in the multiverse that would descend upon your plane if you stopped Nicol Bolas and went ahead with your own, noble plans! And your pure-hearted, brave boyfriend couldn't help but charge into the fray to protect his home. You did this! You have no one to blame but yourself!"

"No!" Chandra cried, her attempts to free herself growing weaker. "No..."

"I may be burning in hell, but you've trapped yourself in your own, personal hell!" Baltrice mocked. "And now you get the pleasure of sitting back and watching everything you ever loved burn!"

"No..." Chandra muttered once again, her struggling suddenly stopping. A thought passed through her mind, like a whisper, or a gentle breeze. But even so, above the crackling fire, above Baltrice's harsh words, she heard it loud and clear, and it dragged her back to reality. It cooled the fire, dulled the sensation that she was being grabbed, muddied the scenery around her, and twisted the phantom of Baltrice before her into what she- or rather what they really, truly were.

" _Tell Tezzeret I'm sorry."_

She could feel the words as if they were laced with flame- a spell that would guarantee that Chandra would deliver her message. It burned her body but cooled her head, reducing everything around her to blackness, and her captor to who they really were: Ashiok, who was looking none too pleased things had begin to unravel around them.

"No! You little... but _how_!?" They shouted furiously as Chandra finally ripped herself away from them, her body encased in light and fire.

"This is nothing but a nightmare!" Chandra shot back, feeling nothing but a comforting heat even when surrounded by flame. It seemed to sooth her, and slowly dragged her from the horrors she had seen. "You can't fool me, and you can't keep me here! I have someone I need to find- I have a promise I have to keep! And not even _you_ are going to stand in my way!"

"You think you can win, even now!? You've seen how hopeless victory is! I've shown you the _truth_!" Ashiok snapped. "No matter what happens, in the end you will fail!"

"We'll see about that." Chandra growled. "The future is what we'll make of it! We're going to rise above all of this... because everything we've seen here is nothing but a dream!"

* * *

Gideon gasped, still hunched over Tajic's lifeless body, feeling a warmth at his back and something seem to pull him. He sat up and turned around, looking passed Avacyn. Something from outside of the dilapidated building seemed to glow, like a brilliant sunset, and it warmed him to his core. It chased away his despair and dried his tears, and beckoned him to venture towards it.

"Commander?" Avacyn asked confusedly as Gideon stood, still looking toward the light. "Commander, what is it?"

"Something... Familiar..." Gideon muttered to himself as he began to pass her by. "I've felt this warmth before."

Roughly, Avacyn grasped at Gideon's wrist, however as Gideon turned back, he was no longer looking back at his old friend, weathered and shaped by a war. He, instead, came to find Ashiok gripping at his wrist, snarling in anger.

"You can't outrun fate, Gidon!" They growled. "This will be your reality! You will lose everyone you love! You stand to lose everyone and everything if you take another step! Do you hear me- EVERYTHING!"

"No... That's..." Gideon muttered, shaking his head before looking out to the light that had begun to grow brighter and brighter, lighting the entire building in a warm, comforting orange glow. "None of this is for certain. And I will fight to see a future brighter than this..."

"And you will lose!" Ashiok snarled. "You always have, you always will!"

"That isn't for you to say." Gideon spoke strongly as he easily broke free of Ashioks grasp, the nightmare that had formed around them being enveloped in light, until it all faded away. He turned away from his tormentor and turned to see Chandra, her hair now a mighty flame, a warm smile on her face as she silently beckoned him to come to her. "I'm the maker of my own destiny- we all are. How things turn out in the end... well, it's not for you to say."

Without another word, Gideon departed from Ashiok's side and ran to Chandra, throwing his arms around her. She laughed affectionately, embracing him back. Her entire body felt warm, enveloping him in a comforting heat.

"Do I always have to come and wake you up, you goof?" She chuckled.

"This will be the last time." Gideon smiled. "I promise."

* * *

Avacyn perked up, feeling as though someone was calling her name. She looked around, seeing only darkness at first through her tears. But before she descended back into despair, she heard it again. Avacyn looked around again, wiping at her eyes. The voice sounded familiar, warm and welcoming, and it seemed to calm her a bit.

"Hello... is anyone there?" She called into the darkness.

"No one is there!" The other Avacyn suddenly appeared before her, her very image becoming warped somehow, like an illusion that was beginning to lose it's effectiveness. "Nothing, just like you are! Defective! Inferior!" With each word, her appearance seemed to fizzle out, revealing something much more sinister underneath.

"Don't listen to them." Avacyn gasped as she felt someone lean against her back, a familiar voice getting her attention as a warmth surrounded her, even in the cold, black void. "Your father loves you, anyone with eyes can see that. You'll always be that beacon of light- something for him to return to. Seriously, after all this time, is there even any reasons for you to doubt him?"

"He'll cast you aside eventually, you know!" The illusion spat back, revealing themselves to be Ashiok who looked absolutely furious. "You're nothing but a copy! You're not even a good copy! Once he leaves this place, he'll have no use for you! This plane will have no use for you!"

"Hush..." Chandra spoke, her words calm, yet strong somehow, rising above Ashiok's angry shouts. "Even if there is a shred of truth to any of that, I made a promise to you, didn't I?"

"A... promise?" Avacyn asked, a heat growing in her chest and radiating throughout her entire body. A light within her seemed to light up the darkness and drove Ashiok back despite their struggles.

"Yeah, that even if Sorin and everyone else leaves, I'll always be here." Chandra chuckled. Avacyn finally turned to her, her heart fluttering at such a pace she feared it would fly right out of her chest. Chandra smiled warmly back at her, holding out her hand. "We're friends, and that isn't ever going to change. Plus, I think I like you this way, you big crybaby."

Tears sprung from Avacyn's eyes as she took Chandra's hand, all of her doubt and sadness washed away by warmth and light.

"Now, let's get out of here. People still need us... they still need you."

* * *

"What's the point?" Nissa sobbed as she stopped her frantic run and let go of Emmara's hand. The fairer elf rubbed at her wrist as she watched her companion sink to her knees. "Any second now, he'll come, and he'll take you from me again. I'll... I've never been able to protect you... and I never will..."

"Nissa, please, what's going on!?" Emmara asked. "Where are you taking me!? What are you talking about!?"

"The truth." A cruel voice answered, and Nissa flinched as Jace rounded the corner, his cloak billowing behind him as he approached. "That from the very start, she was nothing but a failure- a traitor to her own land, now cursed to lose everything she ever loved again and again."

"What... Jace, what are you saying!?" Emmara gasped, looking down at Nissa who was hanging her head in defeat. "Nissa... what is he saying?"

"You'll only get hurt because of me- you always have!" Nissa cried. "You'll only get hurt staying by my side... I don't deserve someone like you... someone like me doesn't..."

"Well, you certainly know the drill." Jace smirked as he lifted his hand toward Emmara. "Once again, you've failed- and you always will."

"Please, take my life instead, I beg you!" Nissa begged frantically. "Just once... Please let me die so I don't have to see any of this! Please! Kill me instead!"

"N-Nissa!" Emmara looked down at her in utter shock before looking to Jace, who merely smirked.

"Oh, Nissa, you know how this goes." He chuckled. "This is your curse- you'll never be given any sort of mercy. That's the nature of a curse. And someone like you, well... you don't deserve mercy in the first place."

"That's where you're wrong!" A new voice chimed in before a wall of flame separated Nissa and Emmara from Jace. They both gasped in shock, turning around to find Chandra standing behind them, brow furrowed and eyes aglow.

"Ch...Chandra..." Nissa stammered as she practically stomped over to her before grabbing her by the collar of her cloak and lifting her just high enough so that she could strike her across the face. Her head flew to the side and remained resting against her shoulder, having accepted the blow.

"Don't ever say those sorts of things!" She scolded. "Don't ever say you don't deserve someone like Emmara! And especially don't ask for someone to kill you right in front of her- I mean what in the world is wrong with you!?"

"It's true, though..." Nissa muttered, a single tear drifting down her cheek. "I don't deserve someone like Emmara. I'm a coward who abandoned her own plane, who forgot her true purpose. Emmara has always been getting hurt because of me so... what's the point?"

"It's as she says." Jace smirked from beyond the flames, though Chandra could see passed the illusion, and see Ashiok's cruel smirk beneath the hood of Jace's cloak.

"You shut up!" Chandra snapped back. "Everyone deserves a second chance, and everyone deserves love! Even... even a horribly flawed elf who made a huge mistake. No one deserves to suffer... nobody."

Nissa cocked her head back, looking up at Chandra as big, salty tears began to well up in her eyes. She sobbed, unable to summon up words as easily as she was able to summon tears.

"Zendikar will forgive you, and so will Emmara. You just need to accept you made a mistake and tell the truth. No more secrets." Chandra continued. "You aren't the mistakes you've made in the past. You are what you decide for yourself now. You're only cursed because you believe it to be that way. It's time to move on- from all of that."

"I... I want to make up for the things I've done!" Nissa cried. "I want to be able to live! I want to know that what I'm doing now is right! I... I want to return home!"

"But Nissa, you're already home." Chandra smirked as she rested her hands on Nissa's shoulders, the darkened hallway around them melting into nothingness- just as it really was. "Here with Emmara, and with all of us... this is your home."

"My home...?" Nissa repeated with a sob.

"Yeah, of course it is. So let's get back to reality and protect it." Chandra grinned, taking a step back before offering her a hand to take. "Everyone is waiting."

"...Wait." Nissa mumbled as she drew back her hand she had begun to outstretch. "There's... something else."

"Well, hurry it up. Time's really a-waisting." Chandra sighed, resting her hands on her hips as Nissa picked herself up and turned to face Ashiok, who no longer hid behind their illusion.

"You really don't believe all those empty words of hers, do you?" They asked angrily. "This nightmare is your punishment! This is Zendikar's will!"

"No!" Nissa stood firm as she stared Ashiok down, her eyes glowing green. "Zendikar's will is that I find my place in my new home, and that I protect it. _I_ am Zendikar's will. Your words have no power here!"

Nissa began to walk forward, towards Ashiok, who snarled furiously at her.

"You're a fool is what you are!" They spat back. "You'll see, you can't live on these pretty words forever! Your curse will catch up to you, time and again!"

"Then I'll just have to keep running ahead." Nissa spoke simply, but strongly as she passed them by, continuing to walk deeper and deeper into the darkness. She could feel it, somewhere in the shadows: something familiar- no, some _one_ familiar. Someone she could still save, even then. Someone who had been waiting for her in the darkness. She held on to the warmth that still clung to her skin from Chandra's words, and took it into the darkness.

"Emmara." She spoke as she came to a stop. "I'm here."

A single light seemed to glow in the black expanse, growing until Emmara herself sat crumpled on the ground before Nissa, hiding her face as she sobbed.

"It's alright, Emmara, I'm here. Everything is fine." Nissa spoke comfortingly as she knelt down before her, wrapping her arms around her quivering form.

"What's going on, Nissa?" Emmara asked tearfully. "I've seen so many things I don't understand... so many terrible things..."

"I'll explain everything later. There's just something I have to do first." Nissa assured her as she brushed the hair from out of Emmara's face and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Until then I need you to do one thing for me."

"Wh-what is that?" Emmara hiccuped before Nissa leaned in and pressed her lips gently against hers. She shared the warmth she had been given as she tasted her lover's lips once again- sweet and soft, just as she had remembered.

"Wake up."

* * *

Emmara slowly opened her eyes, squinting against the harsh overhead lights. Her entire body felt heavy and stiff, and it seemed to take a lot out of her just to move her fingers. Her vision was foggy around the edges as she attempted to blink away the haze, and her ears could just barely pick up the sound of a steady beeping that seemed to grow sharper and crisper with each passing second. With a tired groan she lulled her head to the side, coming face to face with a young female nurse with sharp but beautiful features and long, black hair that fell slightly in her face. She stared back at Emmara in disbelief for a few seconds before jumping in surprise as if she had been shocked.

"Where... am I?" Emmara muttered, her jaw feeling stiff.

"M-Miss Tandris!" The nurse stammered, clutching her clipboard to her chest. "You're... You're awake!"

"Am I... In the hospital?" Emmara asked slowly, the fidgety movements of the young nurse making her feel dizzy.

"Yes- yes you are!" She nodded back over-enthusiastically. "I-I should go get the doctor! Please, wait here!"

"Wait..." Emmara interrupted, stopping the girl's retreat. "Nissa... where is... she?"

"O-Oh, you mean Miss Revane?" The nurse asked. "She was here much earlier this morning!"

"But... I could have sworn..." Emmara muttered, her brow furrowing a bit. "...I thought I heard... her voice..."

"No one but me has been here for quite some time!" The young nurse explained, hopping from foot to foot as if she were running in place. "I-I can bring her here, you know, once she comes back!" she offered before whispering under her breath, "it's strange, she's usually here a lot more during the day..."

"Could you?" Emmara asked with a smile. "There's... something I need to... talk to her about." Emmara relaxed against her pillow, giving her tired eyes a break and shutting them. "Something... very important."


	49. Running on Empty

"Nnmm..." Nissa moaned tiredly as she felt someone shake her, forcing her back into consciousness as well as practically rolling her over across the rocky ground of the tunnel. Everything felt distant for a moment- voices seemed far off and sensations seemed dulled. It felt as if she had been sleeping for ages.

"Hey! Nissa, come on, wake up!" The voice called again, much more loud this time. Mostly out of instinct, Nissa lifted a hand and swatted at whoever it was who was practically shouting in her ear and shaking her enough to make her feel nauseous.

"Whoa! Yep, looks like she's finally coming to!" The same voice laughed as Nissa slowly opened her eyes. Chandra sat beside her, hands raised up defensively as if she were expecting another swat in her direction, and Gideon and Avacyn were looming above the two of them, looking down at her expectantly. "And here I thought Gideon was the master of oversleeping!"

"Thank the gods, I thought she hadn't made it out!" Gideon sighed before catching Nissa's confused look as she slowly attempted to sit up- eventually needing help from Chandra, who supported her back as she rose. "You were out a lot longer than the rest of us- about a good half-hour or so."

"Sorry, there was... something I had to do." Nissa apologized, rubbing her head as her senses slowly became sharper.

"Well, I sure hope it was important! We had to sit here and watch you snooze instead of moving forward." Chandra complained, although her tone hardly made it seem like she had made her comment completely in seriousness.

"I hope it was, too..." Nissa sighed. She had never really dealt with any magic dealing with dreams before, and hadn't been all that sure what she had done had even done much of anything for Emmara- or even if it was really Emmara she had helped. For all she knew, Emmara was still locked in her nightmare with-

"Ashiok!" She suddenly gasped, scrambling to her feet in a clumsy display that inevitably led her to being forced to steady herself on Gideon, who didn't seem all that bothered and reached out to steady her. "Where are they! We need to stop them!"

"They had escaped when we woke up, I'm afraid. Even the smartest of creatures know not to wait around for a match where they'll be outnumbered." Avacyn explained to her. "It's impossible to know where they have gone at this point, or if they'll bother showing up a second time."

"But..." Nissa began to protest. "We need to find them! You heard what they said, about the nightmares and Ravnica! They're the ones we need to be finding in this maze- not Jace or Bolas!"

"I suggested the same thing, but like Avacyn said, we have no idea where they are- if they're even still in the maze." Gideon shrugged. "Our best bet is to keep on making our way through the maze to stop Jace, seeing as Ashiok's plans hinge on Bolas' plans coming to fruition. At this point, Ashiok is the lesser of two evils."

"We let them get away this time, but you'll have your revenge if they resurface in the future." Avacyn assured her.

"So let's not waste any more time!" Chandra cut in impatiently. "We'll kick Ashiok's ass another day- right now we have bigger, more important asses to kick!" Without another word, Chandra took the lead, puzzling over a fork in the tunnel that immediately faced her.

"Chandra, wait!" Nissa called after her. The redhead perked up, looking over her shoulder with a look that hardly exuded patience. She didn't turn all the way around, but placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot a few times in a way that tried Nissa's own patience

"Huh? Would you rather lead?" She asked a little too gruffly for Nissa's taste, and for a brief moment, she toyed with just taking it back and telling her not to mind, but what she intended to say was something that had to be said. Nissa could still feel the warm, comforting sensation she had been given in her nightmare from the very girl who stood before her shifting about impatiently and narrowing her eyes, and it prompted that something be said.

"No, no, none of that, I just..." Nissa paused as she drew a slow, cleansing breath. "Thank you for what you did back there. I'm sure without you, we'd all still be trapped in Ashiok's nightmare. I, especially, owe you a great deal for-"

"Dinner."

"E-excuse me?"

"When we get out of here, you owe me dinner- and I'm not talking anything cheep, either!" Chandra specified. "I'm talking about a full-course meal at a real classy joint!"

"I-is... that really all you want?" Nissa asked, only able to figure she wanted it for the satisfaction of forcing her to treat a human to a nice dinner in a public place. And although it seemed like just the right amount of revenge, it hardly seemed at all enough to match Nissa's gratitude. "That can't possibly be all you want in return..."

"Well, I'd ask for a lot more, sure, but I'd rather not take advantage of my friends like that." Chandra said with a quick grin before turning back to the fork in their path.

"Your... friends...?" Nissa parroted. It didn't leave any sort of foul aftertaste to say, much to her surprise. There was even a sort of comfort in repeating it back to herself.

"We shouldn't waste any more time." Avacyn spoke up as she passed Nissa by to join Chandra, sharing a slight, welcoming smile as she walked by. "We need to keep moving or else we might not make it to Liliana in time."

"The sooner we get out of here, the better!" Gideon agreed as he followed suit, giving Nissa's back an affectionate- albeit strong- slap as if she were one of his teammates. She stumbled forward, but couldn't bring herself to be all that bothered by the exchange. Maybe it was the warm feeling that had sparked within her heart that distracted her.

_Friends..._

Nissa smiled to herself as she picked up her own pace, bringing up the rear of the group. There was hardly a word she could use to describe how she felt about her companions, however, for the time being, "friends" seemed just about right.

* * *

Liliana stumbled as she stopped to catch her breath. Her battle with Garruk and Teysa had taken what felt like several years off of her life with the amount of energy she had expended (maybe a little too much). And yet she hadn't even taken a break since she had managed to escape- breaking into a straight run and neither stopping or even slowing until her body threatened to crumple to the ground. Gasping for breath, it took every last bit of energy she still clung to not to fall completely to her knees as she leaned against the wall of the tunnel.

The corridor itself had taken on a more oddly polished look than just a narrow corridor or an old series of caves. The stretch of hallway before her had become purposefully wide, the walls of the tunnel lined with pillars that were both standing or completely toppled over. There was definitely something awfully final about it, and if that didn't tip her off, then the overwhelming sensation that seemed to saturate the entire cave did. Something felt as if it were pulling her along- guiding her through the dark. Something old and familiar was calling to her, and within the maze there were only so many things that could possibly have been.

Either it was another complicated trap set up for her, or it was her spark.

"Could this be it?" She muttered to herself. She could feel it, but not quite access it- the power that Liliana Vess once had, the power that she had traded her very freedom for. She certainly figured she would never make the same mistake, but Liliana could certainly understand, sensing just what awaited her beyond the twisting, winding corridors, why someone would sell their soul for power like that.

With a deep breath, Liliana glared down at her legs that shook and quivered like gelatin as she, once again, proceeded forward.

"Maybe I should reanimate my legs..." She joked as she pushed herself away from the wall. However, as she re-assumed her trek forward, she couldn't help but notice the sound of someone's footsteps as they ran from somewhere behind her. A chaotic mixture of hope and caution welled up inside of her as she dropped down behind a fallen pillar. Just as much as it could be one of her friends, it could very well be another enemy- and her legs certainly appreciated the break as she dropped into a crouch to hide. Keeping her body pressed against the stone, she kept one eye on the tunnel behind her, waiting for whoever's footsteps echoed from the darkness to emerge- and as they did, Liliana had to keep herself from leaping out into the open as her heart fluttered despite herself.

"Jace..." She whispered, shuffling where she sat crouched as he came into view. He didn't seem all that concerned to see what was lying about- much to Liliana's luck- and faced obediently forward as he ran passed her.

Liliana bit her lip nervously. She had finally found him, but she was without the spell or any of her friends. She was alone without help and without a plan. At first she stayed rooted to the ground- both out of exhaustion and of stubbornness- logically feeling she wouldn't be able to face Jace alone and unarmed with what she needed. But something deep inside of her- an emotional pull that seemed to dominate all of her other thoughts- yearned for her to follow after him. For a brief period, as she heard his footsteps grow more and more distant, she indecisively rose to her feet and dropped back down to the ground, not once but several times. She looked back at the way she had come, and the way Jace had gone before groaning angrily to herself and rising to her feet.

Even though she had no help and had no plan, she couldn't let him go. She wasn't going to let him get away- not this time.

"Jace..." She gasped to herself as she ran, limbs still sore but finding the strength and energy to support her. She repeated his name over and over as she followed after him, catching glimpses of him as he rounded corners, barely missing him each time. His name filled her with so many emotions- sadness, anger, hope, love- and with each exhale she spoke his name and her voice grew louder and louder. "Jace... Jace!"

Her pursuit eventually led her to an opening in the tunnel, and she could feel the cool sensation of a breeze as it hit her skin that had become moist from sweat. She stumbled and skidded as she exited the dark cave, looking up immediately to find a night sky spattered with stars, and the tall, jagged spires of the ruins standing as black silhouettes against it. The tunnel had led her out into a deep scar that weaved through the old, crumbling city above. The old ruins of Ravnica would bear witness to the final stretch of her journey, it seemed.

Whipping her head one way and then the other, she quickly caught sight of Jace continuing to run, unaware of her presence. And now, so close to what she felt was her goal, Liliana could no longer keep herself silent.

" _JACE_!" She called out, her voice cracking as she shouted with every last bit of air that remained in her lungs. Her cry reverberated along the high walls that surrounded them, and reached to the crumbling buildings that could be seen from below. And much to Liliana's surprise, relief and maybe regret, Jace skidded to a halt. There wasn't any point in keeping hidden now, so Liliana found no point in staying silent. "JACE! PLEASE, _STOP_!"

He turned around to face her as she stumbled in his direction, making sure to keep herself a few, good feet away- just enough so she wouldn't have to shout, just far enough in case he attempted to attack her. It was Jace's body, but Jace wasn't in control. But, at the very least, she knew from when they had spoke that he could hear her from where he was locked away.

"Jace... please, you need to fight this!" She begged, immediately feeling a lump grow in her throat as he gazed at her as if he were staring at thin air. He seemed uninterested in her words, and uninterested in her. But he remained silent, and allowed for her to continue to speak. "I know you can hear me in there! I know you're still in there, and I know it seems helpless, but you need to fight! Ravnica Is your home- _our_ home... you can't let this happen! I know things seem impossible, but you have to fight, for Ravnica and for the multiverse!" Completely out of air, Liliana hunched over, finally spent.

"Your words are awfully stirring, but they're certainly not enough. In the end, your speeches will be nothing but a waste of time." Jace finally spoke as Liliana gasped for breath. She stared back at him as if she were struggling against a mighty weight. "You're fighting against a thing that was thrown into motion before you came into being- a plan that bore fruit before you could even comprehend it. There's nothing any of your pathetic friends can do. There's nothing you can do! And there's certainly nothing that Jace Beleren can do!"

"Is that... so?" Liliana asked as she caught something glinting in the moonlight. Jace's words had been cold and unfeeling- a speech made for a villain- but the look in his eyes spoke otherwise as tears poured fourth from them. He was in there, and, somehow, she had reached him. "Or maybe you're so far along in your plans that... maybe you don't realize just how precariously placed your plan as become. The power to overthrow your entire plan is inside of _you_ \- awake and aware... and I know he can hear me! And I know he has the power to fight! Even if he doesn't know it... even if he doesn't believe it... I believe it! I know you can break free of this Jace so please..."

"L...Lili..." Much to Liliana's surprise, she heard Jace barely manage to choke out her name as he reached up to clutch at his head. "Lili... ana..."

Just as it felt like they had hit some kind of breakthrough- just as Liliana caught sight of that tiny, glimmer of hope- something silvery flew between them, keeping both of them from growing any closer. Liliana stumbled backward, and as did Jace, the struggling look that had begun to show on his face returning to the cold, unfeeling expression. With a disheartened gasp, Liliana looked to the ground to find a silvery blade buried deep into the ground between them, blue bolts of static buzzing about the reflective metal.

"That... is _quite_ enough." An annoyed sounding voice spoke from the sidelines. Liliana spun about to see Tezzeret glaring back at the both of them, arms folded almost in disappointment as he approached.

"Seems like Bolas felt it necessary to call in all of the help..." Liliana glowered. Tezzeret payed no attention to her comment- much less Liliana herself- as he wrenched the blade from out of the ground and turned to Jace.

"What are you doing wasting time here for?" He questioned angrily. "Hurry up and get to Bolas! I'll take care of this little insect."

"Jace, please, wait!" Liliana begged, but this time her words didn't reach him as he turned his back to the both of them and continued down the path and out of sight. "Jace..."

"You know, it's quite sad we've wound up here, like this." Tezzeret sighed as he stepped into her line of vision, examining his blade for any scratches or tarnishes from having been thrown. "We could have been standing here as equals, but here we are, standing as enemies. And I thought you were smarter than this..."

"Why..." Liliana muttered, her frustration causing her voice to quiver. "Why are you doing this!?"

"Well, this is an awfully odd time to want to dig into that." Tezzeret chuckled.

"If Bolas succeeds, this entire plane is going to be destroyed! The entire multiverse is going to fall right along with it! I know Bolas isn't controlling you, so why would anyone in the right mind fight for such a cause!?" Liliana continued to angrily question. "You're not like Bolas... you're not a cruel person, so why...?"

"It's this world that's cruel." Tezzeret responded coldly. "This world is full of people who look at people like us like monsters. We have powers that could help them, improve their lives even, but the moment they discover us, they cast us out." He looked down at his etherium arm angrily, clenching the long, bony fingers of his metallic hand. "A place like this... A place so awful... it deserves to be demolished."

"We've all lived that life, Tezzeret! But shouldn't we work towards changing this world instead of destroying it!?" Liliana snapped. "There's still good in this world, there's still a chance! Surely you see that!"

"I've found good in this world- the only good I could ever need, the only good that was ever done for me. And if finally being happy means this entire plane can burn to the ground, so be it." Tezzeret growled.

"What, did Bolas offer you some kind of deal?" Liliana snarled back, drawing into as much mana as she could as she spoke. She saw him drawing closer, and gripping at his blade. She kept her eyes glued on his movements as she spoke, hoping he didn't notice her preparing herself. "Let me tell you, I know a hell of a lot about deals, and when you make them with people like Bolas, you're just asking to get shit on."

"No... not with Bolas..." Tezzeret paused, seeming almost thoughtful, which caught Liliana completely off guard. "But with someone in his fold. Someone who has offered me happiness no one else could ever hope to give. Surely, even someone like you has felt it..."

"Felt what?" Liliana asked, feeling legitimately curious.

"Love."

"Lo-" Before Liliana could comprehend what Tezzeret had said, she spied a glint of metal as Tezzeret swung his blade in her direction. With a gasp, Liliana pulled, once again, at the mana she had begin to lose track of, only being able to summon a single undead fro the earth to defend her. For a split second, Liliana felt that at least that would be enough to hold Tezzeret off- that it would keep him busy while she attempted to regain her focus- but in an instant, without even the slightest bit of trouble, Liliana's single undead soldier was sliced clean in half by Tezzeret's blade.

"Shit!" Liliana gasped, unable to say anymore than that as she shielded herself with her arms.

A merciless pain shot through her as she felt the sharpened edge of the blade slice open the flesh of her arm. Liliana cried out as she felt the strike from the blade followed by the force of Tezzeret thrusting his foot against her gut, sending her flying backward and falling ungracefully to the ground. The world spun as she attempted to breath normally, unsure if she had stopped, or was still rolling backward. She gripped at her arm, feeling that it was already covered in warm, slick blood. She groaned in pain, at first feeling only the pain from the wound in her arm and in her stomach where she had been kicked. However, as she attempted to right herself, she immediately longed for such a simple pain.

It felt as if she had been burned- not on her skin, but somewhere deep inside, where she couldn't reach. Her senses went muddy, and when she attempted to summon up any sort of spell to air her, it only made things worse and made her nauseous. Her entire body ached, even though she had been struck only two places. The pain forced her to her knees and kept her from moving, made it hard to breath and even think on anything but the pain. A pathetic cry exited her lips as she clutched at her wound, barely able to lift her head enough to see Tezzeret's boots as he slowly walked over to her.

"A fascinating weapon, isn't it?" He asked, wiping the blood from off the blade and examining its gleam. "We used it in the army when we captured prisoners of war who happened to be mages. Had they been normal humans not attune to mana, it would have just been a blade like any other. But for mages- for people like you and me- it's the ultimate tool for torture. Not only does it slice flesh, it can slice through your connection with mana. I guess, you could say in simpler terms, it cuts your very soul."

Liliana attempted to rise to her feet, only to have her entire body buckle in refusal. It was as if she hardly even controlled her own body- just lived and suffered in it. At the very least, she was able to shuffle herself back, but it was hardly a retreat and even that took it's toll. Her struggles soon became nothing but feeble shivers as she helplessly wrapped her arms around herself. She heard Tezzeret sigh above her through her heart pounding in her ears as if he were disappointed in something.

"It's a bit of a shame we haven't the time to actually use it to it's full potential." He muttered. "I was told to take you out as soon as I could, should I ever have gotten the chance." He took a threatening step forward until he loomed over her, and Liliana could see the details of his boots. "Bolas' only regret is that he couldn't be here to do this personally."

"And your only regret should be that you weren't a little more cautious." A voice familiar to Liliana growled. Tezzeret gasped as he felt the sharp, cold point of a blade press up against his neck before mumbling something under his breath, sounding a combination of angry and annoyed.

"Don't you think it's high time you stopped meddling in the affairs of these human children, Miss Revane." He asked in an exhausted tone, slowly raising his hands up in surrender.

"I think I have been given every right to meddle." Nissa responded sharply. "And they're not just humans- they're my friends."

"Your 'friends' are they?" Tezzeret chuckled slightly. "Well, then, I guess you can have the pleasure of dying with the rest of them!"

With a frightening amount of speed, Tezzeret was able to whirl around before Nissa had a chance to thrust her saber forward, nearly knocking it out of her hands as his own blade clashed with it. Sparks lit up the darkness around them as Nissa grunted in surprise, her feet skidding back against the rough ground beneath them. Hardly having any time to retaliate, she was forced to stumble back even further as Tezzeret lashed out a second time- this time with his etherium hand that now acted as a second weapon.

"Now, let's make this quick." Tezzeret snarled as he lunged forward. Nissa could do nothing but counter his attacks as they came one after another, blocking one blow and dodging the next. She was nimble, but Tezzeret was slowly breaking her down with nothing but sheer brute force as his attacks came closer and closer to hitting her- until a strong blow from his blade knocked her weapon clear from her hands, sending it souring a ways before it landed, tip-first, into the ground. A cruel look of victory in his eyes, he surged forward for one last attack before something whizzed passed between the two of them, blocking Tezzeret's path.

A pute-white spear that almost seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"We told you not to run off!" A voice called from nearby. Both Nissa and Tezzeret turned to find Avacyn, Gideon and Chandra, all three of them looking prepared to lunge into battle alongside Nissa. "If we hadn't gotten here in time, you could have gotten seriously injured, you know!"

"How about you focus on the other seriously injured we already have on our hands." Nissa retorted, motioning to Liliana. "Tezzeret did a number on her before I got here!"

Without another word, Avacyn rushed to Liliana's side while Chandra and Gideon rushed to Nissa's- Chandra ready with searing flame and Gideon with his sural.

"Three against one- well, this is hardly fare." Tezzeret muttered, very much visibly annoyed.

"Ask us if we give a shit." Chandra remarked harshly. "Now stand down, unless you want to get battered and deep fried!"

Meanwhile, as the others forced Tezzeret to surrender, Avacyn laid her hands on Liliana's wound, seeing her noticeably quiver at her touch.

"I-It's not a... normal wound, Avacyn... it's..." Liliana mumbled, but before she could even finish, Avacyn knew the extent of Liliana's injuries far surpassed a simple flesh wound. The cut was hardly deep enough to even require stitches, but she could feel it travel deep inside of Liliana, marring far down into places she could just barely reach.

"This is going to take a while." Avacyn told her. "This isn't a normal injury."

"We don't... have that kind of time!" Liliana shot back with some difficulty. "At this rate, Jace is going to..." She grunted in pain and folded herself forward, Avacyn's heeling magics somehow managing to sting her sensitive wound.

"Jace? He's here!?" Avacyn gasped.

" _Was_ here." Liliana corrected roughly. "And if we don't move out soon, he's going to reach the end of the maze and Bolas before we can reach him!" With quivering legs and a body that threatened to give out on her if she continued, Liliana forced herself to stand- Avacyn following after her, keeping a firm grip on her arm.

"Liliana, wait-!" She pleaded, but Liliana did no such thing as she called out to the others.

"Gideon, I need the spell!"

Gideon perked up, looking immediately nervous and guilty as he rubbed at the back of his neck. Chandra, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes angrily at him. Neither of them had spoken, but Liliana started to put the pieces of the puzzle before her together before either of them had a chance to explain.

"Well, you see... the thing is we... or I guess _I_..." Gideon stammered before Chandra groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Genius over here already went and used it!" She finished for him. "We're up a creek without a paddle, _unfortunately_."

"I'm telling you, I had no choice!" Gideon defended. "A-And it was Tajic's idea, not mine!"

"It's fine." Much to both of their- and everyone else's surprise, Liliana responded calmly.

"Wh- wait a minute, what!?" Chandra gasped. "You... you're not even mad!?"

"I'm sure you've gotten mad and yelled at Gideon enough for everyone here." Liliana managed to joke. "This makes things harder but... I know I can reach him." She took a few, uneasy steps and paused as she caught herself before she crumpled to the ground. She stared at the ground, her eyes attempting to refocus.

"Please, let me come with you!" Avacyn insisted, but Liliana raised her hand as she drew near, stopping her in her tracks.

"Thanks but... This is something I need to do alone." She muttered, shaking her head as she lifted it, regaining her stride.

"But your wounds-!" Avacyn began to protest.

"We don't have time, Avacyn!" Liliana cut her off sharply. "You've done enough. I... I can take it from here. This is something only I can do."

"Then stop dilly-dallying!" Nissa spoke up. "Go to him before he gets all of us killed!"

Liliana looked to her and nodded as the two of them shared a knowing look. Tripping a few times as she pressed forward, Liliana managed to break out into a slight jog, grasping at her arm that was, at least in the surface, healed. Avacyn took a few steps after her before stopping herself and watched her go with a crippling amount of concern before turning to Nissa angrily.

"You can't honestly think she can stop him in her condition!" She snapped. "I've felt the extent of her injuries- it could take days to fully heal!"

"Love can make people do incredibly stupid, crazy things, Avacyn." Nissa explained calmly. "But it can also lend them the strength they need to overcome even the greatest obstacle."

"Love, huh...?" Chandra muttered under her breath before turning to Tezzeret, who looked more annoyed than anything. He caught her stare and glared back at her.

"You... I was certain Baltrice would have stopped _you_ , at least." He grumbled. Chandra opened her mouth to spit back a sharp retort, but she thought better of it as her heart grew heavy. It would be in bad taste to get snippy with him, considering what she had come all that way to say. She took a deep breath, calming herself before she spoke.

"Baltrice... wanted me to tell you something." She began, her voice wavering a bit. Avacyn turned to her, looking surprised, but Chandra ignored it as she watched Tezzeret's expression begin to change. She could see something in his eyes, something worried about what Chandra had to say. "She said... she's sorry."

"Sorry?" Tezzeret questioned, going from annoyed and disinterested to concerned almost immediately. "Sorry for what?" Chandra turned away, beginning to feel guilty.

"She... she didn't say..."

"What did you do to her!?" Tezzeret shouted. Chandra jumped in surprise, her words at first coming out as a series of stammers and nervous sounds.

"I-I didn't do anything!" She began. "I-I'm sorry... I tried to save her... I... It was an accident..."

"No..." The amount of devastation in Tezzeret's expression was enough to hurt even Chandra as he stumbled backward in surprise. "She... she can't be..."

"...What... What was Baltrice to you?" Chandra dared to ask, but Tezzeret had fallen silent, his eyes fixed on the ground, looking like he'd just been punched in the gut. He clutched at his chest, making sounds as if he were struggling to breath. He didn't answer Chandra, but she knew, simply by how he reacted, just what Baltrice was to him. She knew that feeling well, having experienced it time and again in her vivid nightmares.

"Tezzeret, I-" She began to say before she heard him mutter something under his breath.

"He promised..." He spoke, his words dripping with both anguish and anger. "That bastard... I'll kill him..."

* * *

Even though Liliana had lost sight of Jace, all she had to do was follow the pull- the call of her spark that lay trapped within the maze. Although, now, it hurt to reach out and feel it- the sensation of focusing in on the stream of mana that led her felt like she was being prodded with hot tongs, but it was the only way. Limping and gasping for breath, she found herself traveling down another wide tunnel lined with columns. The air around her was abuzz with mana and burned her as she tried, instinctively, to tap into it to give herself strength.

"Jace..." She grunted to herself as sweat slid down her face. Saying his name seemed to be the only source of strength she could draw on as she stumbled down the tunnel. Every movement had become agonizing, and each step felt as if she were walking on glass, but she proceeded forward, repeating his name over and over again in the darkness.

Her pain and exhaustion made her trip feel like an eternity, but after what felt like forever she stumbled into a grand chamber- no more doors to pass through or tunnels to go down. There was no time to stand in awe of the place- the crumbling statues standing guard silently, the smooth slab of rock that stood out just ahead of her, nor the mana that was so thick in the room it threatened to suffocate her. None of it was of any of her concern. Only the one person standing with their back to her, unaware of her presence.

"Jace!" She cried out. She could have sworn she heard him gasp, but he turned to her as if he were completely uninterested she was there. "Jace, listen, you have to stop this!"

"You're too late." He spoke coldly. "There's nothing any of you could do to stop us now."

"You'll destroy everything!" Liliana protested.

"This entire plane went bad a long time ago. The only thing that remains in this world that is worth keeping Ravnica around for is just beyond here, and soon even that will be gone. After that, Ravnica will be a useless husk." Jace continued, his tone harsh and chilling. "There will be nothing lost by wiping it off the face of the multiverse."

"Jace, this isn't like you-"

"That me is gone!" Jace suddenly shouted. "You can't reach him- not anymore. Consider this... your final punishment from Bolas."

"You..." Liliana struggled to speak, eyes stinging as she held back tears. She bit down on her quivering lips and choked back her sobs as she clenched her fists in determination. The old Jace wasn't gone. She knew he wasn't- he was still there and he could hear her! "Do... you remember when we first met?"

Jace remained oddly silent, but Liliana could not as she continued to speak, he words spilling out of her almost chaotically.

"I remember how awkward you were, how you mixed up your words and tried not to stare. You introduced yourself as Bace Jeleren, and I still remember how red your face got when you realized! It was all just apart of Bolas' plan, but that day left an impression on me!

"I remember when you started trying to sit with me in the library at lunch, even after I refused you! At the time, I know it was all apart of the plan, but your determination... it left a mark on me. You ignored all the gossip and the stares and everything you had heard and stayed with me, even if it was just to read books together in silence! I always caught you stealing glances, you thought you were so smooth...

"I remember during the long weekend when you sneaked me into your dorm to take shelter from the rain! And in exchange for me explaining what had happened before you entered the academy, you told me about your friend... Kallist. We hardly knew anything about each other, but you bore your soul and cried. I wished I could have been as open, I wish I could have told you the truth then- just broke down and cried and told you everything, but I kept my distance, because it was all apart of the plan! But after that day, I started to wonder if I was hanging around because I had to or because I wanted to.

"I remember the night of the dance when you kissed me in front of everyone, and how we opened the maze and I fed you only lies about my past. You were so trusting, even after I was so vague.

"I remember when you stood up for me in front of the entire school, when we broke into the ruins, and I remember when things started going bad. The plan wasn't my plan anymore, and I didn't want to lose you, but things just happened even when I tried to stop them! And you stayed by my side the entire time, you trusted me the entire time! And now I'm here because _I_ still trust _you_! I know you're still in there, and I know you still remember..." Liliana stopped for a moment, hunching over as she gasped for breath. And with her hands on her knees and with hardly any air left in her lungs, she finally allowed herself to cry.

"Jace... I love you."

Silence followed her words that echoed about the chamber. Liliana lifted her head and gazed back at him through tears. And, at first, Jace stood still, his back turned to her, and Liliana held her breath in terrified anticipation. However, a single word climbed over the silence, and it almost seemed to chase away the throbbing pain that pulsed through Liliana's body.

"Lili...ana..." Slowly and steadily, Jace turned back around to face her with tears in his eyes. Liliana stared back at him in surprise, mouth agape but unable to actually form any words. There he was, looking back at her and smiling: the Jace she knew- the Jace who she had come to love. "Those words... could you say them one more time?"

"You... You moron." Liliana sniffled. "I'll say it as many times as you want! I love you! I love you, I love you, I _love you_!"

"Liliana, I-" Jace began to respond, but before he could utter another word, the sound of slow, almost mocking applause could be heard from behind Liliana. The both of them turned, nervous and unsure, before terror swept over the both of them. The warm feeling of relief that had grown between them was blown away like a leaf in a harsh gust of wind, and replaced with fear. There, at the entrance to the chamber, stood Nicol Bolas, still clapping his hands and sneering from ear to ear. Even in human form, some of his dragon-like features still managed to show through, and it was unsettling to say the least.

"Oh, no, please, do continue." He chuckled darkly. "I'm sure we're all _dying_ to see what happens next."


	50. Tezzeret

The air within the chamber seemed to shift violently as Nicol Bolas strode in, not looking at all as if a wrench had been thrown into his plans- in fact, he seemed almost overjoyed, which was immensely off-putting. His smile seemed to cover up something deeper, but it certainly wasn't anger. It was something a lot more sinister, and something that made Liliana and Jace's stomach's turn- not that this didn't stop Liliana from attempting to sour his mood.

"It's over, Bolas!" She snapped, sounding more defensive than triumphant as she ran to Jace's side. She reached out and grasped his arm, pulling him close to her. Much to Jace's surprise at least, Bolas did nothing to stop her, and simply watched as if he were being entertained. And now that he was close enough, Jace could feel Liliana's heart pounding, her worries that she managed to keep from showing on her face making themselves known elsewhere. "Jace is no longer your slave! This game is finished!"

At first, there was nothing but silence that filled the chamber, but a single, amused chuckle rose above the quiet, and grew into thunderous laughter as Bolas threw his head back and cackled.

"I-I fail to see how this is funny..." Liliana growled as Bolas continued to laugh. His laughter seemed to shake the walls of the cave and filled both Liliana and Jace with paralyzing dread.

"Then, Liliana, my dear, you've failed completely!" Nicol Bolas chuckled with a hiss. "While I feel I must commend you on dragging Jace out from under my thumb, you're no closer to victory than before. You see, people are just as easy to manipulate without mind control- and leagues more amusing."

With a simple wave of his hand, Liliana felt her knees buckle and her legs weaken. The world seemed to spin about her chaotically as she fell to her knees. She could hardly feel the sensation of her skin meeting the hard, rocky ground- in fact, she could hardly feel anything aside from a sharp pain that built up in the very back of her skull before exploding throughout her entire head. She reached up and grasped at her head, moaning in agony. - or at least, she figured she did. Her entire body felt distant and her movements hardly felt like she was making them at all.

"Liliana!" Jace gasped as he dropped down beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she hardly seemed to acknowledge he was even there. He looked to Bolas, who crossed his arms proudly and smirked back at him. "What did you do to her!?"

"It's a spell I've kept around just in case- never thought I'd ever get the chance to use it, but it seems even I can be wrong about some things." Bolas sneered. "Liliana allowed me to bore into her mind at the beginning of this little game, so that I could cast a spell to keep people like you from reading her mind. And had she done as she was told, that would have been all it was." His words grew sharp as he glared down at Liliana, who struggled to lift her head and meet his gaze. She continued to make pained noises and take in quick, dry gasps of air, but that was all she could muster.

"However, it seems my hand has been forced, so now I'll use that very spell I planted in her mind to completely destroy it- slowly, bit by bit. Which now, Jace, leaves you with a _very_ important choice." Bolas continued, taking a few threatening steps in their direction. "Either you continue to be the hero- save the plane and the multiverse and stop me- and watch as the one person you love the very most is slowly be reduced to nothing, or you unleash and hand over to me what is rightfully mine, and I allow her to live."

"You... monster..." Liliana managed to wheeze.

"Now, now, I'd save my breath if I were you." Bolas warned mockingly. "I'd consider what you really want to be your last words- that is, if Jace wants to be the hero."

"Liliana... I... I can't..." Jace muttered, feeling the sensation of her reaching out and clutching tightly at his shirt.

"Clock's ticking, little mind mage." Bolas chuckled. "Save the multiverse, or the girl who has become your entire world. It's a tough decision, I know, but in the end I'm sure you'll make the one that will make both of us _very_ happy."

Movement coming from behind Nicol Bolas caught both his and Jace's attention as someone leaped out from the darkness. And, as sudden an attack as it was, Bolas hardly even flinched as he held a hand aloft to stop the attacker's blade- the silvery metal not even digging into his skin. Jace looked on in shock, but Bolas, on the other hand, seemed more annoyed than surprised as he turned to meet the angry gaze of his attacker.

"Tezzeret... well, if this isn't an unpleasant surprise..." He grumbled. "Seems all of the insubordinate cockroaches are crawling out of the woodwork for the grand finale- although your timing couldn't be any less poor."

"You... Bastard..." Tezzeret seethed as he attempted to apply more pressure to the blow that Bolas had already completely stopped, but his blade failed to draw even the smallest drop of blood. "You promised Baltrice wouldn't get hurt! You swore to me that you would make sure she wouldn't die!"

"Baltrice did...?" Jace gasped, although his comment went largely ignored.

"Honestly, is this why you're behaving like such a dramatic fool? Can't you see I'm busy?" Bolas asked as he rolled his eyes. Reaching up with his free hand, he grasped at Tezzeret's arm and, with one swift motion, easily twisted and threw him over his shoulder. Tezzeret's body met the ground roughly, his blade being knocked from from his hand as he tumbled a good distance away from Bolas who, surprisingly, didn't move to make a counter attack. He simply watched as Tezzeret groaned and coughed in pain as he rose back up to his knees, glaring daggers at the dragon who hardly even flinched in response. "I'm a dragon of my word- I wouldn't lie to you."

"And those brats who say they saw her die were!?" Tezzeret snarled. "What are you playing at, Bolas!?"

"Well, I guess I do have... a small bit of time to spare on sating you..." Bolas grumbled as he looked back at Jace and Liliana, who was struggling more and more with each passing second to breath. "And at this point there's really nothing to lose in telling you, seeing as your usefulness to me is _finally_ at an end."

"My usefulness? So, what, I was just a pawn to you!?" Tezzeret snarled. "Baltrice was just a pawn to you!?"

"You are all pieces in this game- none of you were or continue to be anything special. People like you and Sarkhan and Jace are nothing but pawns... but Baltrice, she was a very important piece, and probably one of my more intricate creations."

"C-creations?" Tezzeret gasped. "What do you mean... by 'creations'!" He seemed visibly shaken at that point, staggering even though he had been solidly standing. With an amused laugh, Bolas extended his hand, as if he were casting a spell, although Tezzeret or anyone else didn't seem to be affected.

"I found it very admirable of Sorin that he had the power to create angels like Avacyn. It was certainly something I considered doing, but hardly found much of a reason to go about doing it myself- that is, until you came along." Bolas explained as a strange wind began to blow about the chamber. Bits of dust and rock that were picked up began to burn bright like embers in the air. "Maybe in an act of spite from your original counterpart, each new iteration of Tezzeret became harder and harder to control. Your mind became impenetrable, but your services- well, you were always such a loyal asset, so I had to stoop down to other tactics to controlling you.

"And so, I made my own angel- or, I suppose in this case the term 'succubus' would be more accurate- and shaped her in the likeness of a former associate of Tezzeret's. Some say she died somewhere before the war on Ravnica, others speculate she received Jace Beleren's call for help and ignored it out of spite- but regardless of the circumstances, the planeswalker formerly known as Baltrice never arrived on Ravnica, and was never trapped here like the rest of us. But she could still be of use, even if she wasn't present, and I made very good use of her likeness to trigger some form of guilt in you that would attract you to her... well, among other things."

"Baltrice... Baltrice was never even... None of that was real!?" Tezzeret gasped, sounding like Bolas had just punched him in the gut.

"Oh, on the contrary, Tezzeret, Baltrice was very real- I _made_ her to be real." Bolas corrected him with a grin as the embers that danced about the air began to collect around his hand. "She had her own will, her own personality that was free of any of my meddling, and acted as she saw fit. That being said, she would become whatever you wanted- whatever you needed at any given time, and had natural instincts given to her that would lead her to you and to draw you to her. She will always be everything you ever wanted, and so long as I live, she will never die."

The brightly-burning embers slowly began to converge, shifting and melding together as a form began to take shape. Tezzeret looked on as if he were watching something absolutely horribly gruesome was taking place before his very eyes. Out of the mass of embers and smoke, Bolas summoned up a body made up of dazzling, crackling flame, and even before they began to extinguish themselves, Tezzeret already recognized who it was- although he clearly didn't want to believe any of it. Standing before him, naked and holding herself as if she were a limp puppet held up by strings, was Baltrice looking exactly as he remembered her- bits and pieces of her flesh still glowing red. Steam rose from her body, still hot from the flames.

"No..." Tezzeret murmured. "This... this isn't..."

"-Right?" Bolas finished cruelly as he reached around to affectionately stroke Baltrice's chin. She didn't react at all, her eyes looking blankly down at the ground. "But how can it be so wrong? Your dearly beloved Baltrice will always be here for you- eternal and loyal to you. Not even death can claim her- the perfect doll. I would never lie to you, Tezzeret, and I've given you everything you've ever wanted."

"What you've given me... is nothing but lies!" Tezzeret shouted. "All of this has just been one, big manipulation! My loyalty to you was because of something that wasn't even _real_!"

"Even so, didn't she make you happy?" Bolas asked snidely.

"She only made me happy because that's what she was created to do!" Tezzeret snapped back as he angrily began to approach Bolas, blue sparks leaping forth from his one etherium hand "She only loved me because you made her to! None of what she felt... none of what she did for me was real! I fell in love with nothing but your illusions! I gave you my loyalty because she had, because that was the only way I figured we could be together... but now I don't see any reason why I shouldn't pluck your eyes right out of your damn skull!"

A sickeningly moist noise cut Tezzeret off- like the sound of someone slicing a piece of meat. He stammered and shuddered, stopping in his tracks as he slowly, shakily gazed downward. The tip of his own blade poked out from his stomach, dripping with blood that poured down onto the ground at his feet. It suddenly became a struggle to breath as he tasted metal, a spray of blood escaping his lips as he coughed. The crimson liquid splattered against Bolas' face, who hardly so much as reacted with anything but a cruel smile. Horrified, Tezzeret looked behind him, only to find Baltrice standing right behind him, his blade clutched in her now blood-dyed hands, her gaze still blank and unfeeling.

"Now, Tezzeret, you really know how to hurt a girl." Bolas mocked as Baltrice yanked the blade out from his body. Tezzeret stumbled only a few steps before his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Searing pain and numbness from blood-loss began to blend together as blood filled his mouth, making it a chore to breath. Or maybe that was something else. "I could have given you power beyond your wildest dreams, and she could have given you more love than you would ever deserve, but you instead decide to cast all of that aside. And, now, in the end, it's your loss- not mine." Bolas loomed over him, sneering from ear to ear as he spoke.

"You're dismissed, Tezzeret."

Tezzeret looked up at Baltrice who looked down at him with zero feeling in her eyes. He was nothing to her, just as she was nothing to him... but why did it still hurt? Why did it still sting to even consider that more than the wound in his gut?

_I wish I never met her... I wish none of this had happened..._

* * *

_It all started when I lost my arm- this cyclone of despair that has dragged me down and suffocated me. Until then I was normal- or at least passed as normal. And for me back then, that was more than enough. Passing was what got me by day-to-day. Passing is what got me an education, and kept me from being singled out and exiled. And passing is what got me into the army- somewhat anyway. I was brought on to the force under secret circumstances- scouted for my talents as an artificier that I had thought I had so cleverly hidden away. But still, a job was a job, and it was better than nothing, so I took it._

_I had secured a place for myself among them- my commanding officers, my comrades in arms- as an elite sniper, although my skills were only because my etherium bullets would hit any target regardless of whether or not I used a scope. My higher ups respected me, and the men and women below me looked up to me- it was a dangerous life, but one that I was thankful to have. I had found a place I felt like I truly belonged, even though I still had to keep my share of secrets. I was happy. I was content. And I was, unbeknownst to be, in a very precarious position. Any wrong move, and my life would be swept up in disaster. And, unfortunately, that push in the wrong direction came in the form of an enemy airstrike during one of my team's missions._

_They told me I was lucky to be alive at all, but I hardly felt lucky. I had lost a good number of comrades- a good number of_ friends- _and on top of that, I had lost one of my arms. And among the haze of painkillers and suffering, I couldn't help but pick up chatter about discharging me. I was damaged, and couldn't be of use to the people who had become my family. Upon my recovery, I'd be taken back to where I'd come from to eke out a living a broken man._

_Needless to say, I didn't want that. I had found my place there, and it was in danger of being ripped out from under me. I had to do something, and I was desperate. Desperate enough to even blow my entire cover, even._

_I had figured that my being a mage wouldn't matter at that point. I had the respect of so many people, and I had forged enough bonds and friendships and had become useful to so many people, I assumed they would all be able to see past it. So I forged myself a new arm, and inevitably sealed my fate. Before I had a moment to regret my decision or even explain myself, everything crumbled away before my very eyes._

_The people I had fought alongside for years turned against me, and I became a criminal among my own men. Not even the people who had brought me there in the first place, knowing I was an artificier, stuck their necks out to help me. Before I could even catch my breath I had been sent away with a dishonorable discharge marring my good name, and the truth of my linage marring my body. And, in the end, I had no one really to blame but myself. And thus my new life began steeped in self-hatred, which was only dwarfed by the amount of hatred given to me by everyone else I happened to come across._

_I survived off small jobs for several years, which was really impressive, looking back. I'm honestly surprised I didn't die of starvation in a alleyway somewhere, or get killed by a wandering hate group- instead I got money where I could find it and lived my life as a drifter lurking in the shadows. Some jobs were extremely temporary, some were all under the table, and I'm pretty sure all of them were on different levels of illegal. Not that I cared at that point- whatever got me my next meal or a place to stay the night. I didn't care my employers couldn't look me in the eyes, or that the people I was forced to work with treated me like a leper. It was the life I felt I deserved._

_However, someone else didn't seem to see it that way, and that meddlesome person was Sorin Markov. I don't know how he tracked me down, or how he managed to find me, but our first meeting just so happened to be when I was drinking away my troubles- of which I had many, which required a lot of alcohol. I'm honestly don't know what Sorin, a self-respecting man who was the dean of a very well-known school for magic folk (whose family had actually founded and greatly funded the school, according to him), wanted to do with or even saw in a stubborn, depressed drunk, but he saw_ something, _and that something got be a job teaching at his academy._

_It was thankless in comparison to the army, and it was boring in comparison to making a living doing jobs that would have probably gotten me arrested, but it was earning enough money to support myself, and it was in a place where I was among similar people- albeit they were often disrespectful because of some adolescent instinct to do so instead of the fact I was a mage. And out of all of them none were as disrespectful as Baltrice._

_Baltrice was in her second year when I first met her, and the second my coworkers saw her name on my attendance sheets, I was warned of her behavior. She had a reputation of being absolutely uncooperative, often stopping class entirely because of her disruptions. I had been told and I thought I was prepared, but in the end nothing could prepare me for the real thing. Standing against her was like standing against a force of nature._

_She had medium length hair the color of ash, and a rotten attitude- and although her hair was always changing, her attitude hardly did. She was nothing but barbs, talk-backs and sarcasm, and seemed to only have taken the class because she had a passion for burning things. Her projects were often times nothing but piles of burnt metal, and one time I distinctly remember that she crafted a crudely shaped penis. And her foul attitude was nothing short of infectious, and by the time our semester together was over I was thankful to have her gone and gave her a passing grade just so I wouldn't have to see her again._

_But I did._

_It was late after school, after a lot of people had gone home. Clubs were long since dismissed for the day, and the entire building seemed to be entirely deserted. I was only around because I had a particularly large amount of tests to grade that I had put off long enough, and especially detested bringing home my work with me. All I wanted at that point was a drink and time enough to return home and relax. But upon my exiting, I couldn't help but hear something that managed to echo through the quiet, empty hallway._

_It was an old song I hadn't heard since my youth, and whoever was singing it was doing so perfectly. The melody was sad and haunting, and as much as I had wanted to return home, I couldn't help but be drawn to the source. Led away from the exit doors, I found myself at the entrance to the theater, the doors slightly ajar and letting the singing easily leak through. I paused there, considering possibly just listening in a few moments more and taking my leave, but instead I found myself pushing against the door and reverently letting myself in- and the resulting shock almost knocked me clean onto my ass._

_Baltrice stood alone on the stage, unaware of my presence as she sang. I suspected it was some kind of trick at first- that maybe she was just lip-syncing, but it really made no sense for her to be doing so all by herself, and the performance seemed much too convincingly real to be a hoax. I stayed until the end, feeling almost hypnotized by her song as she continued, unaware of my presence. But, once she had finished, she caught sight of me and the spell was quickly broken._

" _Well, if it isn't Tizzeret!" She exclaimed, hands on her hips and holding herself like she was declaring victory. "Aren't you a little far away from your department?" She didn't seem at all ashamed I had walked in on her as much as I was, and I could feel my face turning red._

" _It's_ Tezzeret _, and I was just on my way home..." I began to say as she jumped off the stage. However, my curiosity got the best of me, as little as I wanted to return to how things had been when she had been in my class: at each other throats, practically made of hostility. "Why are_ you _here? That... that song...?"_

" _Heh, you like it?" She smirked, smoothing back her hair that she had now cut mercilessly short. "It's a solo piece for choir- a lot of people are after it and I need to get all the practice in that I can if I want to beat down the competition."_

" _You... in choir?" I snorted. It seemed absolutely out-of-place, and I wondered if I misheard her. "Excuse me for saying, but you hardly seem the type..."_

" _Well, Tizz-Tazz, I'm full of surprises." She gloated. "And let me tell you, my performances aren't free."_

" _E-excuse me?" I asked, feeling the conversation shift, but having no idea where in the world it had even gone._

" _You just got yourself a sneak peak of my future solo, and for that kind of service you're gonna have to pay up." She went on, continuing to leave me in the dust in the conversation. "I'm not asking for much, just treat me to a couple of drinks."_

" _I-I'm sorry, but are you asking me to buy you something to drink because I just happened to accidentally hear you practicing?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes. "I really hope you're not expecting me actually agree to this."_

" _Unless you like your junk cooked well done, I have to ask you to reconsider." She sneered, and I could tell in her eyes that it wasn't just an empty threat. "A couple of drinks, or some deep-fried ball sack?"_

" _I don't know who you think you are, threatening a teacher..." A grumbled, but she could tell by the look on my face that she had won._

" _Just a good negotiator." She chuckled, taking the lead out of the theater. "I was hoping to go out for drinks with my man, but he hasn't shown up, so you're a passable replacement."_

" _Your man?" I couldn't help but ask. Baltrice paused, seeming contemplative before shaking her head._

" _Forget it, it's none of your business anyway." She sighed. "You're just my former metal-working teacher, I'm not at liberty to tell you anything about my personal life."_

" _But you_ are _at liberty to threaten me to buy you something to drink..." I muttered under my breath._

" _What was that?"_

" _I-I mean..." I stammered, catching the angry look in her eyes. "So... what do you want? Juice, soda? There's some soda machines around the corner. Coffee?" She clicked her tongue and looked at me as if I were a child, and I had to restrain myself from striking her._

" _No, moron. That's a bunch of little-kid shit. I mean alcohol- booze!" She corrected harshly_

" _Well, excuse me if I think you're still a kid. And there's no way I'll be able to keep my job if I'm caught taking a minor out to buy alcohol." I grumbled. "No thanks, I'm out."_

" _Oh come on, you big baby! No one's going to get into any trouble if nobody blabs." She smirked. "This isn't my first rodeo- I know a few places that I've... persuaded in accepting my patronage. I get my drinks, and you get off breaking the law scot free."_

" _Oh, goodie." I muttered to myself, unable to do nothing but follow her out the door like an obedient dog. And my mood more or less stayed at that same, unamused, exhausted level as she led me to one of the many bars in town that she had more or less blackmailed her way into being a frequent customer of. I remember the looks we got from the staff- how they looked at Baltrice like she was going to burn down their establishment at any second and me like I was a no-good person for taking a girl so young out drinking, like I had done it of my own free will. I treated her to a few beers and left a hefty tip at the counter when we left- I don't even remember what we discussed. It was uncomfortable as it was uneventful, and I was glad to be free if her when we parted. I figured I'd finally be free of her at that point, and that I would never cross paths with her again._

_But I did._

_It seemed whoever Baltrice was seeing had a very bad habit of not showing up whenever they planned to meet, and my more or less forced willingness to treat her to a drink had brought her coming back- like feeding a stray cat. She'd appear at my office as I was getting ready to leave, or would be waiting for me just outside the campus building. I couldn't escape her, but only because she kept on finding me somehow._

_Things went from annoying to commonplace quickly, and it's almost frightening how quickly I got used to taking one of my former students- who was hardly the age to be smoking as much as she did, much less the age to be consuming alcohol- out for a round of drinks after school. They certainly weren't memorable outings- far from it. The only lasting sensation they left me with was a lighter feeling in my wallet with each visit from my trying to tip away all of my guilt. But they persisted, one day after the next._

_There was one day, however, that stood out among the others. It was right after the beginning of the next school year, after a few days had passed and Baltrice had yet to re-materialize. I had been beginning to think that maybe she'd finally moved on to suckering in someone else to treat her to booze, but sure enough, much to my amazing luck, she came waltzing into my office just before I was getting ready to leave. She made the same jokes, and said a lot of the same, vague threats to get me to do what she wanted, but... there was an odd lack of bite that day that I really couldn't help but notice. She seemed weary, and sort of struck me like she'd already been drinking. But, it was business as usual on the surface, thus bringing us back to the usual place, drinking the usual drinks._

" _Hey..." She spoke up at one point during the night, holding aloft her half-drunken glass of whiskey and gazing back at the contents like it was going to impart the secrets of the universe. At first I thought I'd misheard, or maybe she'd been trying to hail down the bartender, but the moment I went back to focusing on my own drink, she spoke again. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"_

" _Excuse me?" It was such a strange question coming from her, I couldn't help but need some sort of clarification. This time, I thought, this time I_ must _have misheard her._

" _You know- like rotten or no good?" She elaborated, still focusing on her glass._

" _Well, that's a really odd thing to ask the guy you've been threatening into buying to alcohol on a regular basis." I snorted. "Which, if you haven't been keeping track, is a pretty awful thing to do..." I expected a lot of things to come out of her mouth after that- a lot of unpleasant things, maybe a few threats, some cursing- but I didn't expect her to weakly chuckle and knock back her drink, oddly not sharp or barbed at all, just strangely accepting of my comment._

" _That makes sense..." She sighed, setting down her drink and pushing back her chair. "Certainly explains a lot."_

" _Explains a lot about what?" I asked, but got no response as she hopped out of her seat and took her leave without another word. And there's really not much you can do at that point, in that kind of situation. Either you sit around and just leave a drunken teen to her own stupid devices, figuring whatever happens to her is her own fault, or you let your own guilt get the better of you and go after them. And in that moment when she left, I saw something familiar in her eyes- something that reminded me of myself at_ my _lowest point. It was certainly an odd time to suddenly become responsible, considering where I was and what I had just been doing, but I left my payment on the counter (just a random wad of bills I haphazardly counted) and hurried after her._

_She hadn't gotten very far, just a few doors down resting her entire body against the wall of a nearby business. I couldn't tell, over the sound of passing cars, if she was sobbing or dry heaving or both, but whatever it was, she was making a decent amount of noise._

" _Baltrice!" I called out to her, running over to her and only stopping when she looked over her shoulder and hit me with a glare that made me question if maybe she had a little bit of gorgon in her lineage. "A-are you okay?"_

" _Wow, look at you, suddenly all concerned." She grumbled, her usual harsh tone sounding forced, or like it was covering something else up. "Why the hell do you care all of a sudden?"_

" _Because you're drunk and obviously something is wrong..." I muttered before sighing and shaking my head. "Look, if you don't really want to tell me, I'm more than happy to go. Just say the word and I'm gone." Baltrice was quiet at first, still glaring back at me as if she were silently warning me to keep my distance. But then she finally spoke, her voice full of emotion that I didn't even know she possessed. It was like we were back at the theater again, with her voice I had no idea she had in her._

" _I didn't come to this school under normal circumstances. My parents weren't mages, and they didn't send me here hoping I'd get an education free of discrimination. I was sent here because they were afraid of me." She explained bitterly. "My dad was a real piece of work- a honest-to-goodness pile of shit, through and through. He had this nasty habit of getting really drunk and hitting my mom, like it was a personal hobby of his or something. He did it a lot, but she never really tried to leave him- probably because she knew she couldn't raise a kid on her own. But I didn't really see any of that, I just saw the bastard hitting my mom so... one day I summoned all my strength and burned the shit out of him- fried that fucker to a crisp, just barely short of killing him... I thought my mom would be thankful, I thought I'd used my powers for good but... it turned me into a monster._

" _For years after that my mom refused to touch me. She neglected me and avoided me until she found the opportunity to get rid of me, and sent me here. Of course, there was always every awkward summer where I'd return, and she'd treat me like an unwelcome spirit invading her home. But I always held on to that shred of hope that she'd come around and remember I was her damn daughter... But turns out I've been relieved of that title. I'm a daughter to no one, turns out."_

" _What do you mean?" I dared to ask, approaching her as the hands she had against the wall balled up into fists._

" _She... she left me. She packed her bags and left without telling me why or where she was going. I returned home this summer to an empty apartment. She didn't even tell the landlord where she was headed- she told nobody... all so that she could escape the monster who returned to her very summer to torment her! The monster that she wants to pretend she didn't bring into this world! That monster that killed her_ real _daughter..."_

" _Baltrice-"_

" _So am I a bad person!?" She asked me again as she whirled around, her face wet with tears. "Am I so awful a person that I deserve to be abandoned!?"_

" _I-" I stammered, still overcome by the shock that Baltrice even had the emotional capacity to cry. I was a metal-working teacher, not a counselor. Obviously dealing with the complicated personal lives of my students didn't come with the territory of teaching them to weld metal together._

"Well _!?" She shrieked, staggering where she stood as she shouted at me. "Am I!?"_

" _Of course not!" I finally shouted back, and she jumped a little in surprise, much to my own. I tried again, much more softly that time. "O-of course not... no one deserves to be abandoned, not even you."_

_Before events began to unfold in front of me I had already known what was probably going to happen the next day, after all this. Baltrice would show up at my office, her usual, smug self, come to tell me to just pretend that the night before had never happened, or just avoid talking about it all together. We'd go back to how our relationship was before that night, and it would be like a phantom whose existence we would never be sure actually happened in our lives. The same time the next day, things would return to how they always were._

_But that was the future, and the present was Baltrice tearing up even more and throwing herself at me. The present was Baltrice throwing her arms around me and burrying her face against my chest to cry, like I was her vanished parent come back for her. The present was me awkwardly wrapping my arms around her as she sobbed. The present was me drying her eyes and saying sweet nothings that seemed to calm her down and helping her back to the dorms. The present was her staggering to the front doors and stopping at the entrance to turn around and face me. And the present was her saying something that was both so quiet and slurred I could hardly understand it, and wouldn't understand for some time afterward._

_I returned to my own apartment later that night, feeling like a piece of my soul had been sucked out of me I was so exhausted. I just had to sleep it off, I figured, and this strange, topsy-turvy night would vanish with the stars come morning. I was ready for what I had expected to happen the next day, and prepared myself to try and forget what had transpired for Baltrice's sake, at least._

_But I wasn't ready for what really happened._

_Baltrice never showed up the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. And the day after that came the whispers. I heard them all day: quiet, harsh words and hushed gasps and muffled giggles, all paired with Baltrice's name. Maybe I was just hearing things, I thought to myself. Maybe having Baltrice on the brain was starting to truly become unhealthy for me. But then I happened upon one of the school newspapers, and the life that Baltrice led outside of our little meetings after school- outside of me treating her to drinks and having to sit through her banter on about things that really hardly mattered- came to light. I learned about her strange relationship with Rakdos, and all the little intimate details she only ever vaguely mentioned to me. I learned about her entire secret life that she only brought up in cryptic words and phrases, and so had the entire school._

_I wanted to find out more, but it wasn't like I was her teacher at the time, or like any of her romantic escapades with Rakdos were any of my business. Me trying to get to the bottom of what had happened would only add fuel to the fire, I felt, so I kept my head down and my ear to the ground to try and hear what had happened to her. And, at the end of every day, I'd wait at the bar until close, waiting for her to show up._

_It was none of my business, but I couldn't get how sad she had looked the last time we had seen one another out of my head. Her tears stained my memories pertinently, and what she had said still resonated in my mind. I felt like a fool, but that wasn't stopping me._

_It wasn't until a couple, good weeks had passed before my patience was finally rewarded. Once again, Baltrice hadn't shown, and once again I made the usual trip down to the usual bar, but what waited for me there was unusual indeed- or at the very least, surprising. There, sitting at the bar, sipping her drink like she hadn't a care in the world, was Baltrice. She seemed to notice my presence just as I noticed hers, and looked up from her drink to greet me with an exhausted smile._

" _Well, you sure know how to keep a girl waiting." She spoke jokingly. "And here I thought I was going to have to pay for my own drinks for once."_

" _Where did you go?" I asked her sternly. "What the hell happened!?"_

" _My, getting right to the point, how forward of you." She chuckled as she knocked back her drink. "Though I'm sure you aren't... totally unaware of what happened to me. The whole school knows, you know, it's common knowledge. Baltrice, the miserable little slut, was banging the physical education teacher- not that that's the whole story... not that anyone cares."_

" _...I care." I dared to say, and she perked up just a bit, just enough to be noticeable. "You vanished without a word of explanation, and I don't even have to go into how hypocritical that is."_

" _Ooh, harsh." Baltrice laughed as she called out to the staff to put her drink "on her tab" (which was something she never mentioned having while I bought her only gods know how many drinks)._

" _You owe me an explanation, at least!" I demanded as she slid from her chair and approached me._

" _Yeah... I guess I do, don't I?" She sighed as she passed by me, nudging my arm with her shoulder. "Let's take a walk."_

" _Is this going to take long, or...?" I asked suspiciously as I followed her out._

" _Depends on how you react in the end, I guess." She said with a shrug, and began walking in a random direction, and I obediently followed behind. She was quiet at first, hands reverently clasped behind her back as she looked up at the sky that was slowly growing darker- the last pinks and oranges of the sunset being consumed by the cover of night. I almost spoke up to try and get the ball rolling, but before I even could, she spoke up._

" _I've been seeing Rakdos... well,_ was _seeing Rakdos for a while. Our romance started almost like this, just drinks and talking. He seemed to understand me, and I was after any kind of companionship I could find. I was happy with him for a while, and he was satisfied with me, and for a while that sated the both of us." She began to weave her tale like she was recalling fond memories, but things began to sour quickly. "But he began to become dissatisfied with me- showing up less, making excuses, going days without speaking. It's why I started latching on to you, because the person I thought loved me left a void in my heart- to wax poetically."_

" _So what happened!?" I dared to pry._

" _The truth happened." She answered angrily. "I found out he was seeing someone else, so I confronted him about it... and well, let's just say he didn't take well to me knowing as much as I did. I don't even remember what I said save for a couple of things, but my throat was raw for days from all the yelling."_

" _How did the entire school find out?" I continued to ask, question after question. "It was in the school newspapers! Did he tell anyone... did you!?"_

" _Of course not, Rakdos would never tell anyone anything that would put his job on the line. Hard to make a living these days when you're a demon." Baltrice snorted. "But me... I told someone I thought I trusted- another person who I thought was an ally in this sea of assholes, but, obviously, they didn't hesitate to throw me under the bus for a scoop. The very day the papers went into print, I was punished and sentenced to completing my time here at this school as a member of the night class, a place for delinquents and dangerous people, when all I did was seek companionship. And Rakdos... well, obviously, you'll see he still has his job, and no doubt his paramour as well. He gets a slap on the wrist, and I get the brunt of the punishment- it's almost hilarious."_

" _...Are you okay?" I asked, partially regretting it as she turned to face me, her expression sharp and furious. "I mean, of course you're not okay, I just can't help but ask-" She cut me off with laughter- it was just barely loud enough to climb over the surrounding noise, but it was enough to silence me._

" _Do you know what the real tipping point was with me and Rakdos, though?" She asked, her expression softening as she made her way back, closer to me. I personally felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to move. "It wasn't because his feelings for me had cooled, or that he was seeing someone else. No, the straw that broke the camels back was when I told him that... I'd found someone else."_

" _Someone else?" I parroted. "Who else could you have-" But before I could finish she placed her hands firmly on my shoulders and pulled me down so that we were face to face. She was too swift to stop, and I was too shocked to even try, and before I could even comprehend what had happened, our lips were pressed together. She tasted like alcohol and cigarettes and smelled like an extinguished fire. She held me captive for what felt like hours, her lips traveling over and locking mine. It was as if she had me under a spell that only was broken when she let me go- and the first thing I did was leap away like I expected her to do it again._

" _I-I- You..._ YOU _!" I stammered, only able to form clips of phrases and point accusingly._

_I remember her smile so vividly- it wasn't smug or snide or cruel or victorious. It was just a genuine smile, and in that moment she out-shined the streetlights and headlights of passing cars._

" _I love you, Tezzeret."_

_Those words. Those words were the words that sealed my fate. I wish I never head them. I wish I never met her. I wish I never saw her smile or tasted her lips or felt her skin or let her lure me in the way she did. I regret everything, down to the last second... but not as much as I regret still wishing I could see that smile one last time or hear her say she loved me once more. I wish I didn't love her. I wish... Oh how I hope... But where have wishes ever gotten me before? Where has hope gotten me?_

_Please don't look down at me like that, like you don't know me._

_I love you, Baltrice._


	51. The Light at the End

Jace looked on in horror at the scene that had unfolded before him, the terrifying sounds of Liliana moaning in agony doing nothing in way of making the situation any better. Tezzeret lay bleeding on the ground, quiet and still, at Nicol Bolas and the newly formed Baltrice's feet. It had all happened so fast, it was still giving him a hard time to process, but as Bolas turned around, whatever spare thought that had been left unresolved withered and died. He looked back at him like a predator eyeing fat, wounded prey, leaving Baltrice to stare in silence down at Tezzeret's body.

"Well, now that _that's_ out of the way..." He grumbled as he smoothed back his slick, black hair. "You have a decision to make, Beleren. And, judging by the state our dear Liliana's in, you don't have much time to dilly-dally."

Jace looked to Liliana, who had gone from gripping her head to gripping his shirt in a white knuckled grip in both of her hands. She had folded herself even further forward, her forehead almost touching his knees, but he could still see a trail of blood slowly oozing from out of her nose. He looked back up to Nicol Bolas, who was now practically leaning over them and sneering victoriously.

"I-...I can't..." Jace stammered, feeling himself wanting- _needing_ to give in.

"Jace... no..." Liliana wheezed as she lifted her head uneasily. She looked at him through eyes she was barely able to open pleadingly.

"Your choice, hero." Bolas jeered. "But I do hope you really consider whether or not this wretched plane is really worth losing your beloved all over again. Will you allow her to die a second time because you failed to act?"

"Liliana!" A new voice echoed through the chamber, and Bolas' eyes darted in the direction it had come from like he was close to destroying the entire place with all of them inside of it. Jace, as well, turned to the source, coming to find Gideon, Nissa, Chandra and Avacyn standing at the entrance to the chamber, each of them looking varying degrees of being extremely confused. Chandra, in particular, had her hands over her mouth, eyes fixed on Baltrice and Tezzeret, while the other two looked to Jace, as if asking for some sort of confirmation.

"Baltrice?" Chandra uttered. "B-but... but _how_!?" Baltrice lifted her head weakly and turned to Chandra, her blank expression shifting a bit, as if she were starting to come to some sort of conclusion through her emotionless haze.

"I'm starting to grow weary of all these interruptions." Bolas growled through clenched teeth. "You rabble aren't even worth my time. Baltrice!" He turned to his newly formed creation, who was still staring back at Chandra, with annoyance in his eyes. "Finish off the rest of these stragglers."

Slowly, Baltrice turned to Bolas, and, much to his surprise, tears were brimming in her eyes as brilliant flames burst from her palms and licked up her arms. He regarded the sudden change in her demeanor with annoyed confusion rather than worry, narrowing his eyes as she began to speak- each word labored, as if she was still figuring out how to talk, but filled to the brim with emotion.

"Te...Tezzer...et..." She managed to moan. "Why... you... you made me... _why_?"

"You dare to disobey me, even though I'm the one who gave you life!?" Bolas snapped. "You're nothing but my puppet and you _will_ do as I say!"

"I'm... no one's... puppet..." Baltrice muttered back. "I won't... be your puppet... you don't... control me!"

"Well then, I certainly hope you're prepared for disappointment." Bolas hissed. "You have been and always will be my puppet until the very end. You always have- always will be."

Baltrice shook angrily before letting out an almost feral screech, the flames she had summoned climbing higher and higher, it's heat reaching each person in the room as if they were standing within it. With tears running down her cheeks, She lunged forward towards Bolas, who remained still and only moved enough to seem irritated. And both of their demeanor's filled each other person in the chamber with fear.

"Enough." Bolas spoke, his voice even and unshakably cold as he made a small motion with a single hand. And with that single wave of his hand, Baltrice's mighty flames died, leaving smoke and ash as her body shook violently. She gasped in what sounded like pain, her eyes widening as she fell forward mid-step. Her second breath was horse and sounded like a dying animal as she collapsed, face-first, onto the ground, only a short distance from Tezzeret.

"No one, especially you, is going to get in my way." Bolas continued, his voice still at a tone that seemed to drop the temperature in the chamber by several degrees. He walked forward to Baltrice, who was weakly extending a hand to try and reach Tezzeret, and roughly stomped his foot down on it, stopping her. "You're nothing but a pawn I allowed to be playable in this game."

With a shudder, Baltrice's body went totally still as Bolas glared down at her- her very obvious death doing nothing to quell his mood as he turned to the other four still present at the entrance, standing petrified. Avacyn was able to summon up and raise her spear, and Nissa with her, who drew her blade, meeting his eyes albeit with a wavering glare. Their actions were brave, but there was something in their stance that made it obvious they had their doubts in even raising their weapons against the dragon- even if he was hiding behind the illusion of being a man. Even in his current form, he wasn't any less intimidating.

"I have had enough of all of you!" He snarled. "I have waited thousands of years for this moment, and I refuse to have my victory with all of you annoying flies buzzing around here!"

A terrible, violent rumble began to shake the chamber as Bolas' human form began to shift and change hideously. Limbs became larger and his neck became longer and his entire body shifted and grew, becoming larger and larger still. Not even the massive chamber was enough to contain him as he broke through the ceiling, causing large chunks of rock and rubble to fall to the ground and raise enough dust and debris to completely blind everyone else on the ground for a few, terrifying moments. But soon, the cloud of dirt and dust was blown away roughly by a gust of wind that nearly knocked everyone backward- a gust of wind generated from huge, mighty wings. Nicol Bolas now loomed over them in his full form: a mighty elderdragon, larger than any of them had ever seen, nearly blocking the newly created view of the moon and stars completely with his massive body. Long, curved horns stretched out from his head, only adding to his height.

"Your time to make decisions is up, Jace!" He roared, each of his words accompanied by a low growl that shook the demolished chamber. "Either you release what's been locked inside this maze and hand it over to me, or I destroy your friends before your very eyes! And I will keep you alive to witness all of it!"

Jace looked to Liliana, who was beginning to look pale, and the others who stood behind Avacyn and Nissa who now were more or less just holding their weapons instead of having them at the ready to fight. The terrifying monster revealing his true form to them had sapped them of their fighting spirit, as well as everyone else. Surely they had faced dangers within the maze, but nothing like this. Even with all of their strength, Bolas' simple presence had been enough to best them. There would be no fight to put up against him- they had all seen what he had done to Baltrice with a simple wave of his hand.

None of them stood a chance.

He took one last look at Liliana, who barely was able to lift her head and meet his eyes again. She couldn't speak, but her eyes begged him not to go through with it. But it was that very look that finally shook his resolve, and he rested his hands on hers, slowly and carefully pulling them from off his his shirt.

"I'm sorry..." He muttered, feeling a warm lump grow in his throat. He looked away, refusing to see the betrayed look in her eyes. "I don't want to lose you... I can't... I won't lose you again, Lili." Jace stood to his feet and quickly turned away and towards the wall that stood between him and the mighty cache of mana that had been locked away for thousands of years. Just looking at it with intentions of releasing what was inside was overwhelming.

"I hate.. you..." He heard Liliana struggle to say at his back, her voice cracking and dry as a bone. "I h-hate... you!"

"Good boy, always putting your friends first- how utterly sentimental." Bolas smirked, watching eagerly as Jace approached the wall.

"Jace, don't you dare!" He heard Chandra yell angrily.

"Please, think about what you're doing!" Avacyn pleaded.

"You can't do this! It isn't worth it!" Gideon bellowed.

"You fool! This isn't going to solve anything!" Nissa snapped.

Jace shuddered as he listened to his friends shout and scream at him from behind him. He rested his hand against the stone, his fingers running along the etchings that were engraved into the rock. He could feel it- the overwhelming power just beyond. It was enough to make him feel as if he could conjure any spell, or delve into any mind, no matter the distance, but at the same time it just made him dizzy and nauseous as his body seemed to reject even being around so much power.

So much power that would soon belong to Bolas.

"Get on with it, boy." Bolas' voice easily dominated the shouting from Jace's friends. "Or I will make your friends taste hellfire!"

"I'm sorry!" Jace shouted as loud as he could as he began to pull at the mana source beyond the wall. His head ached and his heart throbbed in pain as tears began to collect around the edges of his eyes before he tightly closed them. A chaotic rumble echoed in his ears, and it was almost loud enough to even knock him off balance.

However, in an instant, a jarring peace suddenly swept over him. Noises became distant and then immediately vanished. The shouts and the sounds of chaos were washed away to nothing, leaving Jace with only the sound of his own breathing reaching his ears. Cautiously, he opened one eye and then the other, only to find himself in darkness. The entire chamber had vanished the wall had vanished, Bolas had vanished, and his friends had all disappeared, leaving behind nothing but darkness at every side. He whipped his head about, finding no sign of anything familiar lurking in the darkness.

"H-hello?" He called into the dark, his voice shaky and unsure.

"Surely this can't be how you let things end." A voice answered back from behind him. Jace whirled around with a gasp- only to nearly stumble and fall when he came to find who had spoken. He had only seen them in person once, but he still remembered them clearly from the night he had wandered into the dark halls of the school alone, guided by whispers. The archaic clothing, the long, blue cloak, the strange sense of familiarity, like he was looking at an older version of himself- Jace knew exactly who this was.

"Y-you're-!" Jace began to exclaim.

"Is this really the only thing you could think up?" The older man questioned, cutting him off, keeping Jace from speaking his name. "Giving up can't be your only option, Jace."

"But... what can I do!?" Jace asked desperately. "Bolas is more powerful than me- me and all of my friends. He's going to kill them- he's _killing_ Liliana! What else _can_ I do!?" He felt himself getting frustrated as he tightly clenched his hands into angry fists. He couldn't tell if he was getting angry with the familiar stranger or with himself, however. "I'm just me... And I've never been able to do anything..."

"That's an awfully pessimistic way to look at things, Jace." The older man sighed as he shook his head. "I understand- Nicol Bolas is a very powerful person, and maybe you alone as you are might not be able to stand up to him, but you have everything you might need in the palm of your hand."

"What are you talking about?" Jace asked bitterly, looking down at his hands as if something physical would be there. "What do I have that could possibly stop him!?"

"You have, right now as we speak, thousands of years worth of mana at your fingertips. Mana only you can access." The older man laughed as he walked over to Jace, resting a warm, reassuring hand on his shoulder. Up this close, Jace could see bags under his eyes, like he had gone without sleep for all those thousands of years. He smiled back at him, but he seemed so, so unbelievably tired. "And Bolas isn't the only person who you can have use it."

"Wha... no! You can't be serious!" Jace shouted in surprise as he shrugged away from the man's touch. "That mana... I've barely felt it, and it overwhelmed me! If I take it in and try to use it... I can't imagine I'd even make it out alive!"

"True, there is a bit of danger for someone like you to try and take in that kind of power, but the way I see it, we're at a crossroads here. You either give all of that power to Bolas to save your friends, sacrifice Ravnica and endanger the entire multiverse, or you use that life of yours that you are so sure amounts to nothing to save everyone and stop Bolas from getting what he wants." The older man offered up, folding his arms and taking on a more scolding tone. "Or do you value your life more than theirs?"

"No I... I just..." Jace muttered, staring down at his feet. "I don't know what to do! Up until this school year, I was just a normal kid- well, as normal as a _mage_ can get, anyway... I wasn't important, I lived a regular life. I didn't even have any plans for the future. And now... the lives of everyone on Ravnica and everyone in the multiverse rest on my shoulders and... I don't know what to do!" He looked to the older man desperately.

"You've done so much, traveled to so many places. You've made more of an impact than I ever will, you've experienced more than I could ever even hope to imagine!" He cried. "You're the Living Guildpact... what do _you_ think I should do?"

"You don't need to ask me what you should do, Jace." The older man sighed again as he began to turn to leave. But, as he turned, Jace couldn't help but notice a slight smile on his face. "You'll know the right thing to do, I know it. We're the same person, after all."

"Wait!" Jace shouted, reaching out, but finding his hand stopped by something solid, yet unseen. He could still see the older man- the older him, the older Jace- leaving, raising his hand in farewell. "Please, don't go!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Jace." He said over his shoulder. "I've been with you since the beginning. It's up to you now, _Living Guildpact_."

Jace felt a warm feeling well up in his chest as his older doppelganger vanished into the darkness and the stone wall he had been facing before slowly began to fade back into view. He could hear the far-off shouts of his friends, and the terrifying echo of Nicol Bolas' laughter. And yet, the fear he felt before wasn't also flowing back with everything else. Jace, instead, felt an odd feeling of calm wash over him as the words the older Jace Beleren echoed again and again in his mind.

" _It's up to you now,_ Living Guildpact _."_

He felt the overwhelming mana just beyond the barrier- he felt his spark calling to him, pulling him to the space between planes. He could feel all of their sparks- glowing flames and blinding light and dwarfing power. He felt as if he was drowning, being pulled deep into unknown depths by an impossibly huge weight tried to his ankles. But, beyond all of the monstrous power waiting just behind the wall, it almost felt like thousands of people holding out their hands to him, embracing him, and entrusting their fates in him. He was alone standing there at the alter, but he didn't feel at all as if he were about to stand alone against his foe. The people of the Ravnica that had passed all stood along with him. All he had to do was reach out and take their hands.

"This mana doesn't belong to you." He spoke aloud, his hands shaking with anticipation and fear, feeling as if he was standing on the very edge of a cliff.

"What was that?" Bolas growled, knocking even more debris from the surrounding walls lose as he turned to look down at Jace.

"I said..." Jace spoke, taking in a large breath as he pressed his hand hard against the stone. "The power of Ravnica _doesn't belong to you_!"

At first, it simply felt like he was going to be ripped in two. It felt like trying to fit a gigantic, swirling, uncontrollable mass into a small container. Jace feared, at first, that his mind would shatter and that his body would be destroyed. He wrapped his arms around himself, as if he were trying to contain an explosion happening inside of him. He stumbled back and doubled over, his vision doubling-tripling- before everything became nothing but a chaotic blur of colors and shapes. He cried out in agony, but he could hardly hear his own voice.

Jace struggled to open his eyes as he looked out towards his friends. Avacyn, Gideon, Nissa and Chandra all looked back at him in concern, shouting things he couldn't hear. And Liliana... Their eyes met for a second as she collapsed, and time itself seemed to stop. She looked back at him the same way she had looked at him the first time he watched her die. He could hear her dying words- the words he had heard over and over again in reoccurring nightmares.

" _Jace... There's... something I need... to tell you..."_

He couldn't bare to have that happen a second time. He couldn't- _he refused_!

" _Jace... I... I lo..."_

In that moment, as time began to speed up once again, Jace remembered her shouting to him earlier in the chamber- about all the things she remembered them doing and more importantly about how she loved him. And that- those three, small words- were enough to drag him back from the brink. He took a breath like he hadn't breathed in years and turned to look up at Bolas, who snarled angrily back at him. For once, meeting the dragon's gaze, Jace wasn't afraid.

"And you... don't belong here!" Jace continued as he delved into the endless sea of mana now at his disposal. He could feel it draining him, but at the very same time filling him back up as he looked beyond Bolas- up at the night sky- and tore it open. A vast expanse of color,shade, darkness and light danced above them, casting blinding rays of light and shadows darker than the blackness of night. The shapes and shadows danced gracefully, but somehow whipped about violently as well. They all looked up at it, the space between worlds- the Blind Eternities.

The following second after the Blind Eternities revealed themselves in the sky above, gravity seemed to shift. Rubble began to float into the air and rocks that had once still clung to the walls around them were ripped from where they stood and were sucked up onto the swirling expanse above. Bolas, too, began to find himself being sucked into the void, and he immediately began to attempt to find footholds or things to grasp onto- only for them to crumble away at his touch. Jace's vision blurred, but he could just barely make out Gideon skidding to Liliana's side as he took hold of her and something nearby to keep them anchored. The only person unaffected by the pull was Jace, who felt like he was being crushed by the amount of power he was using to keep the opening in place.

" _No_! This will not be how it ends!" Bolas roared as he looked down furiously at Jace. "You aren't going to win that easily!" He dug his claws into the surrounding rock and pulled himself back down with a large amount of difficulty, until Jace was in his reach. "Wherever I'm going, I'm taking you with me, Beleren!" He reached down swiftly with one of his menacingly clawed hands, and in Jace's state, he could hardly even consider moving even a step, let alone actually getting out of the way. His heart sank as the shadow of Bolas' massive hand washed over him.

Suddenly, he felt something shove him to the side. Not expecting the force, Jace fell roughly to the ground, his head knocking against the ground as he fell. Desperate to keep up the spell, he lifted his head to keep concentrating on the hole leading to the Blind Eternities, and at the same time, he caught a glimpse of who had just pushed him out of the way before Bolas' fingers wrapped around them.

Tezzeret.

"Not this time, you overgrown lizard!" Tezzeret weakly shouted as Bolas lifted his hand to his face to see who he had caught as he began to get sucked back up towards the hole ripped open in the sky above them. An audible gasp could be heard from the elderdragon, a look of what could only be described as shock showing on his scaly features before they were replaced with white-hot anger. "I'm not going to let you have your way... not this time!"

"NO!" Bolas bellowed, his last ditch effort leaving him hanging on to nothing as he struggled to keep from being lifted into the air. "This will _not_ be how it ends! I'll find my way back to this miserable plane, mark my words! And when I do, I'll kill all of you! I'll make sure all of you suffer!"

Jace met Bolas' gaze as he was sucked into the aether, and the look that he gave him, even then as he was filled to the brim with unimaginable power, sent a chilling shiver up his spine. And in that moment, as Bolas pointed at him with his free hand as he began to become consumed by the swirling shades and shimmers of the Blind Eternities, Jace felt legitimately weak.

"Starting with you, Beleren! Starting and _ending_ with you!" It wasn't an empty threat, it was real- too real, almost tangible, like something Jace could hold in his hands. It was enough to make Jace waver, but not enough to force him to stop what he had summoned. He waited and watched as Nicol Bolas- the fearsome dragon that had tormented him and his friends- struggled and flailed against the pull of the Blind Eternities, only finding himself being pulled deeper and deeper until only his outstretched hand remained, still hopelessly groping at thin air.

Jace could feel his legs begin to weaken and his body become heavy as the spell became harder and harder to keep up. As the last signs of Bolas vanished within the swirling aether, Jace let out a powerful yell enough to hurt his throat and to make his lungs ache. His vision blurred and his knees buckled, feeling like something was pushing against him, forcing him to the ground. But even though his body begged for relief, he held on, pulling from the mana source again and again, constantly feeling full and being left feeling like an empty husk. He waited until Bolas had completely disappeared, and the fearful sensation that clawed up his back completely vanished. He didn't want to see him anymore- he didn't want to _feel_ him anymore.

Closing the hole he had ripped open in the sky was a lot more difficult. It required concentration that Jace could barely even keep up and careful precision his limbs could hardly muster with all of their shaking. He looked to his friends a few times, how they clung to whatever they could find to keep from joining Bolas in wherever Jace had sent him to. If he couldn't close the portal, surely it would hungrily suck up everything it could find, feeding an insatiable hunger.

" _It's up to you now,_ Living Guildpact _."_

Those words echoed in his mind again as he struggled to close the portal. It was all up to him. There was no one who could bring him back from the brink now- no one to motivate him, or hold his hand. This was only something he could do. It was his mess, and now he had to fix it. So, with one, final, powerful yell, Jace slowly began to close the opening. The edges of his vision began to grow dark, and it became increasingly difficult to stand, but Jace refused to even blink until he finished what he started.

"Things aren't going to end here..." He uttered through bared teeth. "...Not like this... There's still things I need to... do here." As if the multiverse was answering him, a sound similar to rolling thunder echoed from above, as the final rays of light and peeks of chaotic, beautiful colors vanished in the night sky, leaving behind a painful hush and a view of twinkling stars.

However, even though they had found peace, the power Jace had taken within him still raged within his body, begging to be used. He felt as if he could preform any spell, even though he couldn't even begin to fathom what spells even were at that point. He stumbled to the side on weakened legs, catching himself on a nearby wall. His eyes glowed a vibrant blue, and a faint cloud of iridescent mana clung to his form, and it hardly matched his weakened demeanor as he cast his gaze towards his friends.

There was someone in particular he wanted to protect, right... but who...?

"Liliana..." The word slipped from his lips even though he couldn't comprehend what he was saying at first. But as the name slowly began to gain meaning, his eyes darted from side to side, seeking her out. "Lili... ana..."

"...Jace." He heard a voice call his name weakly and he frantically looked for the source, eventually coming to find her resting on the ground with Gideon attending to her. She seemed weak and winded, but she was in better shape than she had been, and she looked back at him with shock in her gaze. "Jace... what did you...?"

That was all Jace truly needed. Liliana's safety was all he required to let the power that his body had been unsteadily housing leak out from him- or rather burst. Like a violent wave, an explosion of mana passed over all of them- along with something else, something familiar, like a dear friend they hadn't seen in ages. It felt warm, and at the same time it chilled. And once the air around them settled, Jace, Gideon, Chandra, Nissa and Liliana found themselves in the space between worlds that Bolas had just been banished to. This time, however, the swirling chaos of the Blind Eternities seemed much more welcoming, as if they belonged there.

And somewhere, out in the madness of colors and shadows, each of them felt something calling to them, pulling them deeper into the reaches of the multiverse. It was something familiar, something comforting in the wild expanse. They all knew it, and they had all felt it before.

Somewhere, in the multiverse, there was home.

* * *

Tibalt sharply gasped as he woke up, his lungs filling with both water in air as he threw himself forward, hacking and coughing. His entire body shook from chill and from shock as his eyes snapped open, expecting to find chaos. He wasn't sure if it had been seconds or hours, but he knew he had just been somewhere else, and not just somewhere else in town. He couldn't find the words to even articulate it to himself but he knew he had been taken... elsewhere, even for just a moment. It was terrifying, but at the same time he was left with a feeling like he had just returned from visiting home, and it left him with hardly any solid thought to grasp to try and ground himself.

But, regardless of where he had been, he found himself now awake, sitting in water that rose up hardly even to his waist, soaking wet and freezing cold. A quick look-around revealed he had awoken in the same chamber where him and Ral (well, mostly Ral, not that he'd ever admit that aloud) had fought Kiora, albeit with the water level exceedingly more low and, thankfully, sans the massive kraken she had summoned into being. Some of the crystals that had been lighting the room had joined them at the very bottom of the pit-like chamber, poking jaggedly out of the water that lazily sloshed against them. Tibalt looked upwards, unsure just how far they had sank, but at the very least the staircase they had taken into the chamber wound all the way around back down to where he was.

"H-Hello?" He uttered through chattering teeth, wrapping his arms futilely around himself for warmth as he slowly rose up from the murky water. He looked around at first, finding nothing but the glowing crystals that cast eerie lights that danced across the waters edge. "Ral... K-Kiora...?" His voice echoed all around him as he whipped his head from side to side, hoping he'd find the former of whom he had called out for before the later.

"Ugh..." Much to Tibalt's relief, his frantic gaze found Ral on his hands and knees near the wall, head cradled wearily in one of his hands.

"Ral!!" Tibalt gasped, sloshing his way over to his companion who lifted his head and gazed back at him like Tibalt was some sort of unwelcome guest before he unsteadily attempted to stand, bracing himself against the slick chamber wall. Tibalt, much to his own, secret amusement, got to witness as Ral slipped backward, behind-first back into the water, before something else much less amusing caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks, squinting against the glare of the glowing crystals.

There, not to far from where he stood, was Kiora, lying motionless in the water. From what little Tibalt knew about merfolk, he at least knew there was hardly any way she could have drowned, but he remembered the number Ral had done on her before he had blacked out- before he was whisked away to... somewhere. He looked to Ral one last time, whose only problem was trying to regain his footing and, judging by the sounds he made, trying not to dry heave. He had half the thought to help, but part of him knew that Ral would probably refuse any hand Tibalt lent him, so instead he began to wade in Kiora's direction. A nervous, sinking feeling settled in his gut as he drew closer. What if she wasn't alive? What if they had actually _killed_ her!? Writing about someone's tragic death was one thing, but being the cause of it...

Tibalt drew as near as he could to her body, hands half outstretched as he loomed over her. He feared touching her- feared what he would find- but in the end, the only shock he got was when her eyes suddenly snapped open and she thrust herself upright with a sharp, terrified gasp that sent Tibalt crying out and falling backwards into the water.

"Zendikar!!" She shouted, looking from side to side in an almost panicked fashion. The word seemed absolutely alien to Tibalt, but the way Kiora had said it carried a staggering amount of importance. "Where... where is... where am I...?" She froze up, like a prey animal realizing they were in danger, before she swiveled around to look back at Tibalt, who looked back at her with the same, wide-eyed stare. It was as if the two of them were waiting for the other to go back on the attack before Kiora gasped, looking down at her shaking hands.

"All this time I... I was... And I..." Her voice shook as her bottom lip quivered, her face contorting in a look of both shame and disgust. "I..."

"Looks like Nicol Bolas' spell is lifted. Seems the others managed to pull off a miracle." Ral sighed in relief as he made it over to the other two. "And it seems... I don't know about you two, but for a second there, I was... I guess they call it 'planeswalking'."

"'Planeswalking'..." Tibalt parroted. Was that what he had done? Before he could contemplate any further, he heard Kiora speak up again, this time her voice slowly becoming more and more overcome with emotion. He looked over to her, watching as he eyes began to brim with tears.

"Zendikar... she's..." Kiora muttered. "She's..."

"I read about Zendikar a little bit we were training for the maze. Apparently it was under siege by a lot of terrifying creatures last time folks had access to it. There wasn't a lot to read, but out of what there was, things seemed pretty grim." Ral sighed, looking over to Kiora, his heart aching for her. His plane, it seemed, had been saved from destruction, but her's, maybe wasn't so lucky. "Kiora, I'm sorry."

"No..." Kiora shook her head, tears now pouring from her eyes and dripping down into the water below. "Zendikar... Zendikar lives." With a sudden burst of emotion, she reached out and clung to Tibalt, who froze up like a statue, hands held up defensively instead of embracing her back. "It's still there! Zendikar is still there!!"

"Well, I'll be damned." Ral chuckled, looking up towards the ceiling as voices began to ring out from somewhere- people calling out to others, saying they might have found more maze runners. "Looks like today's just full of good news, isn't it?"

* * *

Ajani woke up, his head aching along with his entire body. He raised his head and looked around, his vision almost painfully blurry. At first he could only make out shapes and shadows, but then he came to find somebody standing just a short ways away from him. It was the first time in a long time that Ajani felt completely dwarfed- although whoever it was was hardly taller than him. They seemed to have an air about them that made them larger than life.

"Seems you've finally decided to come to." He recognized the voice of Sarkhan Vol immediately, dulled senses suddenly becoming clear as memories began to flood back to him- not just of their fight, but... what had come after. What he had _seen_ after. "I do hope your trip was an... enlightening one."

"Wh-what happened!? What's going on!?" Ajani gasped as he slowly attempted to rise to his feet. His eyes rested on one of Sarkhan's arms he held against his chest, horribly mangled and broken. "Y-Your arm!! I-I did that, didn't I... I'm sorry!!"

"No need, a broken arm is nothing compared to the relief I feel." Sarkhan shook his head. "Seems those brats actually managed to pull off the impossible."

"Where did you go!?" Ajani looked to the side, spying Lavinia and an exhausted but healed-looking Tajic resting against a pile of rubble a short distance away. "You were gone for hours and mister-head-of-the-disciplinary-committee has been insistently vague." Lavinia furrowed her brow as she spoke, but Sarkhan merely shrugged it off.

"And, as I keep telling you, where I went and what happened shouldn't matter to you, since neither of you are planeswalkers like me or Mister Goldmane." He sighed, as if he had told the two of them the same thing multipule times before Ajani had come to.

"Planeswalkers..." Ajani repeated before he leaped to his feet, a shockwave of energy now flowing through his veins. "E-Elspeth!! I-I was following Elspeth!! I felt her out there, somewhere, I tried to catch her but... but then I wound up back here. She... she..."

"She must have led you back here to Ravnica then." Sarkhan assured him. "No doubt she's awake- free from Bolas' curse, like the others. Quite amazing, though, that you could feel her out in the Blind Eternities, considering all the things you can and cannot feel out there."

"The... the what?" Ajani asked. "I'm sorry... what your saying doesn't make a lot of sense."

"It will in time. Your spark has been returned to you, and you have a lifetime to figure out what all of this means. And maybe, you'll be able to return to where you truly belong. We may have been born here, but we're meant to be... elsewhere."

"Elsewhere... was it?" Ajani mumbled as he looked up to the slice of sky he could see from the hole in the ceiling. He hadn't really considered finding a place to go while he had been chasing after Elspeth in the confusing swirl of color and aether. He hadn't felt like there was somewhere where he belonged out in the vast, mysterious expanse. All he had felt was the girl he had frantically chased after. "Where I truly belong..."

"You're young, you have time to find out about all that." Sarkahn chuckled, joining Ajani in looking up at the sky. "As for me... I'm simply waiting for be invited back."

* * *

Jace was the first to open his eyes, finding himself on the ground of the demolished chamber and looking up at the stars that were slowly beginning to fade as the first signs of pink began to creep across the sky. He ran his hands along the ground and dug his fingers into the dirt, slowly feeling himself become grounded after what felt like hours of floating. His limbs were sore and his head ached to where he knew he'd have to double down on his medication, but... he was at peace.

And, looking deep inside of himself as he drew upon small pools of mana still lingering in the air, he could feel it almost glowing somewhere within his soul: his spark, fitting into an empty slot somewhere within his being he didn't know needed to be filled. It was an incredible weight, to have access to power he once never thought he could possess, but at the same time it was almost freeing.

"Good morning." He heard a voice greet as he slowly sat up, rubbing his head. Looking around he saw the other four who had traveled to the Blind Eternities with him, all rising from slumber groggily, rubbing sore limbs and regaining their bearings. And before all of them stood Avacyn, looking unbelievably happy even though tears were flowing from her eyes. "And welcome back."

"D... Did we...?" Nissa mumbled, looking up to Avacyn sleepily. The angel simply nodded, allowing the realization to sink in for all of them. As they did, Liliana and Jace looked back at each other, and they both exchanged warm smiles. Liliana seemed much too weak at that point to stand, but Jace felt a rush of energy as he rose clumsily to his feet and rushed over to her. And, even though it seemed to trouble her a bit, Liliana managed to stand just in time for Jace to throw his arms around her and lift her into the air. She draped her arms around him in kind, nuzzling her face against his neck.

"Ugh! Get a room!" Chandra shouted as she trudged over to Gideon's side and exhaustively plopped herself beside him. "Seriously, nobody wants to see you two make out!"

"Give them a break, Chandra." Gideon chuckled, gently ruffling her hair.

"They should give _us_ a break!" Chandra retorted. "I mean seriously they've literally been together for five seconds and they're already all over each other!"

"Maybe you can pick up a few things from them." Nissa joked. "Learn a little intimacy."

"And maybe you should learn some tact." Chandra grumbled, leaning against Gideon tiredly.

"Congratulations to you all." A voice rose above their soft bickering as Sorin emerged from the shadows. There was something different about him- about the way he held himself or the aura lingering about him. It seemed much more intense than before- a presence that demanded respect. Liliana and Jace separated unwillingly while the others slowly rose to their feet. Sorin turned his attention to Avacyn first, simply nodding to her while she did the same, exchanging smiles. "It seems you're all full of more surprises than you let on. Even I have a lot to learn from how you preformed today."

"Oh it was nothing." Chandra chuckled sarcastically. "Taking out huge elderdragons is just, y'know, something we do."

"And congratulations especially to you, Jace Beleren. I'm sure without you, we would be lost to Bolas' plans." Sorin continued, turning his attention to Jace. "It seems the job of the Living Guildpact was never, truly complete."

"Th-thank you." Jace stammered, unsure of what to do with the praise from the usually aloof vampire.

"I'm sure you've felt it by now, the new power that now flows through all of you. I certainly have waited a very long time to feel it myself." Sorin spoke as he looked to the sky. "As of this day, Ravnica is no longer our prison, and the multiverse is at our fingertips. The planeswalkers bound to this plane are no longer prisoners. Our fate no longer rests here, on Ravnica."

Jace looked up towards the sky as well, feeling as if he could still see the Bind Eternities dancing, just beyond the slowly-vanishing stars.

"However, that aside, we still have matters to take care of here, at present." Sorin changed the subject, suddenly sounding official. It seemed rather rehearsed and forced, and seemed to throw everyone off as he cleared his throat. "Namely that Jace, representing the Infinate Consortium, succeeded on reaching the end of the maze first, and with the absence of the guild's leader at present, it is up to Jace to decide the fate of the other guilds."

"W-what!? You mean we're still going through with this!?" Gideon exclaimed before turning to Jace pleadingly. "Jace... please consider my livelihood-"

"Hush, you're not allowed to try and sway him!" Chandra cut him off, swatting him against the chest. "What happens to Boros and the rest of the guilds is up to Jace now." She paused and gave Jace a look, almost like she was wordlessly threatening him. "Which, might I remind you, are actually really corrupt groups that rule unfairly over the regular students here at the academy... _ahem_."

"Somebody is clearly not biased." Liliana mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"Jace." Sorin's voice cut through the chatter as all of them fell silent. "The choice is up to you."

"I..." Jace began before he looked down at the ground thoughtfully. "I choose... to disband only the Infinite Consortium and allow the other ten guilds to continue to function as groups within the academy."

" _What_!?" Chandra gasped, as if she'd been offended. "Jace, come on, think about this for a second. Dean Markov, sir, clearly he's still recovering from the battle, he's obviously not thinking clearly! As the Izzet representative, I demand to contest his decision!" Gideon, beside her, did nothing but boisterously laugh.

"Well..." Sorin, surprisingly enough, chuckled just a bit. "Maybe, with all the change that this plane is going to experience, maybe it's best some things stay the same."

* * *

Nissa rushed through the halls of the hospital, pushing passed patients and nurses, doctors and visitors. She didn't have much time to be polite, or much of a care to be. She had broken into a dead sprint from the front desk, and her heart was pounding so fast and loud she couldn't even hear the people who were calling angrily after her. She'd take the time to apologize later, but at that moment, all that matter was getting to _her_ room- to seeing _her_.

However, just as she reached the room, she almost plowed into a familiar nurse- the one who had introduced herself to her as Narset. The two of them had grown to be on friendly terms, and for a while she had been the only member of the staff Nissa could stand. Narset gasped, nearly dropping her clipboard as Nissa stopped inches away from her. She nervously brushed away the hair that had fallen in her face, checking to see if any papers had slipped free of her grasp before she spoke up.

"M-Miss Revane! You're here early!" She exclaimed, attempting to get out of Nissa's way, only to keep stepping in her path. "I-I assume you heard the good news."

"I can't imagine what could have given it away." Nissa laughed sarcastically, before catching a strange look in Narset's eyes. "...I-Is something wrong? Because I was told at the front desk that-"

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong with Emmara, it's just... you seem different this morning." Narset cocked an eyebrow before shaking her head. "I don't mean to offend of course you just seem... Or maybe it's that _outfit_ you're wearing-"

"I'm sorry, Narset, we can talk at a later time I just... I _need_ to see Emmara." Nissa abruptly apologized, attempting and failing to cut passed Narset once again. " _Narset_!"

"I-I'm sorry, Miss Revane. It's just that... She only just woke up last night, and she's still recovering. She might be much too tired to even speak with you right now." Narset explained nervously. "Maybe it would be best for you to come back in the afternoon or maybe wait a day before you-"

"Nissa..." Hearing her name being called from the room was enough incentive for Nissa to finally push her way passed Narset and rush into the room. She ran to the side of the bed, nearly knocking over some medical equipment to get there. And the moment she arrived, she nearly burst into tears as she dropped to her knees so that she was eye-level with Emmara, who looked back at her sleepily.

"Emmara!" She cried, reaching out and taking her hand that she had weakly outstretched to her. "Emmara I.. I'm so glad..." She nuzzled her face against Emmara's hand, tears finally escaping her eyes and gliding down her cheeks. "I was so worried... It feels like it's been years."

"Same..." Emmara chuckled tiredly, a smile slowly stretching across her lips as her eyes began to grow watery. "...You have a lot of explaining to do... you know?"

"Yes. I know! W-where should I start? At planeswalking, at the reincarnation, or maybe at-?" Nissa began to babble before Emmara gently shushed her. Nissa tightly pressed her lips together, blushing a bit and still crying.

"Not all at once, alright?" Emmara spoke quietly, slowly closing her eyes. "Tell me all about it when I wake up."

"O-of course. I'm sorry, I just..." Nissa stammered. "...I can wait." She began to stand, but she felt as Emmara grasped weakly at her hand.

"Promise me... that you'll be here when I wake up, okay?" Emmara mumbled. Nissa nodded as she slowly sank back down to her knees, resting her chin against the bed. It only occurred to her, now that she was finally at rest, that she hadn't gotten any sleep herself, and her night had been more than just simply eventful. Maybe Emmara had the right idea in getting a little shut eye.

"I promise." Nissa nodded, feeling her own eyelids grow heavy. "I'll be here... I'll always be here. I'll never leave you again."

* * *

"I can't believe we had to fill out paperwork after all that." Liliana sighed. "I mean, we saved the multiverse, can't we hold off on the boring stuff for a day, at least?"

"You mean _I_ filled out paperwork." Jace corrected. "You just decided to hang around. You _could_ have gone home with the others, you know."

"Right, like I could have done that." Liliana snorted as the two of the exited the school building. The sun had finally begun to rise, bathing the campus lawn in bright, morning light. The two of them stood at the doorway, taking in the cool morning air. It was a morning that they almost didn't get to see, a morning they almost lost. It felt appropriate to stand in awe of it, even if only for a moment- the dew that sparkled on the grass, the soft tweeting of birds, the warming glow of the sun that was just beginning to chase away the chill of night, everything was the same as it always had been, and yet it felt different, somehow.

"We're looking at a whole new Ravnica." Jace finally spoke up. "For the first time in a long time, this sleeping plane is finally waking up."

"Funny, it looks just the same to me. Pretty anti-climactic if you ask me." Liliana smirked as she began to walk out. "How about we skip classes for today and just sleep- I think we've earned it." She turned to Jace, only to feel her blood run cold as she watched him slump over the door frame of the main entrance.

"Jace!" She gasped, running to his side. "Jace, are you alright!? Can you hear me!?"

In fact, Jace could hardly hear her. She seemed to far away, and her hands resting on his body hardly registered in his mind. A ringing in his ears overpowered everything as he felt his entire body grow limp, no longer obeying his commands. Unable to turn his head to Liliana, who was shaking him from what he could see and barely feel, he looked out to the brilliant sunrise. Ravnica was finally safe and, more importantly, his friends were finally safe. That was all that really mattered in the end. And, even though his vision was slowly growing dark, he still felt at peace. With a sigh, he embraced the darkness that consumed his vision.

_It's another beautiful morning on Ravnica... thank the gods._

 


	52. Graduation

Liliana groaned as she woke up, glaring against the sunlight that leaked through the window. It seemed she had forgotten to pull the shades the night before, and now a bright ray of sunlight stretched perfectly across the bed and, more specifically, right across her face. With a tired sigh she rolled over onto her stomach, burying her face into her pillow as she began to pull her covers over her head. In the haze of exhaustion and half-asleep frustration, the date slowly crept up on her, and it elicited one, last groan as she finally vanished beneath the covers.

"Today's the day, huh?" She mumbled to herself. A heavy feeling fell over her heart and body as she stared back at the sheets that covered her face. Part of her wanted to delay things just one more day and to go back to living out her days like she originally had for a little while longer. But she knew, deep down, she hadn't the time. Her life at the academy, her life with her friends, her life as a girl living as a student, all of it, unfortunately, was starting to hold her back from what was really important. "Today's the day I'll... huh?"

Just then, as her senses began to sharpen, Liliana couldn't help but notice the faint smell of something burning, and if that wasn't enough, the blare of her smoke detectors tore through and completely destroyed the peacefulness of the morning. It dragged Liliana back to reality and out of her mountain of covers, forced her to grab random hodgepodge of clothes (a shirt that was much too big for her- probably not even hers- underwear and a single sock was all she had time to really snatch up)and to run out of her room and to the kitchen.

"What are you doing!?" She shrieked the moment she saw the small flame rising out of her toaster. "I thought Chandra was the pyromancer, not you!" She could barely hear herself talk over the beeping that was screeching from above, but Jace, who was frantically trying to muffle the flames with a dish towel, at least managed to as he turned around, looking like he'd been caught in the act of some serious crime.

"Liliana! Y-you're awake!" He exclaimed, weirdly trying to sound chipper among the chaos he himself had apparently wrought.

"Do you really think I'd be able to sleep through you burning down my apartment!?" Liliana shouted back as she ran to begin opening every window she could access in hopes to clear out some of the smoke that was filling the kitchen and now her living room. She coughed and fanned the air in front of her face in desperation, considering just throwing something at her smoke alarms till they broke. At least, by the time she had turned around, Jace had gotten the fire under control and was now fishing through the toaster with his bear fingers for whatever had probably set the fire in her appliance.

"I'm sorry, obviously that wasn't what I was going for. I just- ouch!" Jace exclaimed as he jerked his hand out of the toaster, pulling out and letting a completely charred piece of what Liliana could only guess was toast fly through the air and land on the floor with a dry-sounding thud. Jace winced as he shook off his fingers, sticking his burned digits in his mouth as he attempted to continue speaking. "I just wanted to make you breakfast, that's all..."

Liliana looked between Jace and the single, obliterated piece of toast that sat on her floor, smoking. And, as her smoke alarms finally eased their beeping and left the two of them standing in the remaining haze of smoke in complete silence, a single snort broke through- followed by loud, uncontrollable laughter on Liliana's part. She doubled over, feeling tears begin to gather in her eyes as she wheezed.

"A-are you mad, or are you laughing?" Jace asked cautiously. "I... I literally can't tell... I'm sorry?"

"I can't believe you almost burned my apartment down for a piece of toast!" Liliana chuckled as she stood upright, looked at the burned chunk of toast lying on the kitchen floor, and went back to laughing hard once again. "How have you survived this long, I mean seriously!?"

"Hey, in my defense, you have a really confusing toaster!" Jace attempted to defend himself, but the look on his face was very telling of how sad he realize the statement he had just made sounded. "...Maybe we should just swing by the diner for pancakes or something."

"Why in the world were you getting up so early to make me breakfast, anyway?" Liliana asked, walking over to carefully pick up the toast. Even now it felt like she was trying to pick up a hot coal, and she had to gasp it with her fingertips and toss it quickly into the sink. "Didn't the doctor say you needed to get a lot of rest, or something? I'm not one to nag, but we really can't have you having another fainting spell, especially when you're in danger of setting my apartment on fire."

"It's been a week and a good few, couple of days, I think I can start waking up before noon." Jace chuckled, leaning against the counter as he looked down at one of his hands as he curled and stretched his fingers a couple of times. The fight with Bolas had taken a significant amount of energy out of him, and only recently had he been able to wake himself up in the morning. Not that Liliana hadn't helped- skipping classes, even during finals, to wait for him to finally bring himself to get out of bed, bringing him breakfast, dropping in on him in the nurses office to have tea and all sorts of little things that seemed just barely out of character for her. It was nice, but doting was something that just seemed a little odd on Liliana. "Maybe not work a toaster, but..."

"Yeah, still curious about that. I mean, if you wanted to bring me breakfast in bed, that's awfully thoughtful of you." Liliana smirked, and Jace looked over to her in surprise. It only took a few seconds of his stunned silence to bother her as she narrowed her eyes. " _What_?"

"It's... Lavinia and Tajic's graduation ceremony today." Jace told her in surprise. "Did... did you really forget about it? I'm pretty sure we were talking about it all last night with them."

"O-oh! Right!" Liliana exclaimed, her cheeks growing red in embarrassment. She rubbed her head as she gazed down at the floor, realizing her own conflicted thoughts had totally chased away the other important matters that should have stood at the forefront. "Sorry I just... it's early, give me a second to wake up."

"Are you feeling alright?" Jace asked as he walked over to her. Liliana glanced up at him quickly with guilty eyes before quickly gazing back down at the ground. "You've been really out of it the last couple of days- I mean, you almost missed a few of your last final exams, you kept on spacing out last night when we were planning things for today... is something wrong?"

"No, not exactly..." Liliana sighed as she shook her head. "I mean, I can't say it's nothing- not by a long shot... I've just been really thinking about something lately, and it's just been taking precedence, I guess."

"Thinking about what?" Jace inquired, but before he could delve any deeper, Liliana held up her hand and pressed a finger to his lips. She had to keep herself from laughing as he blushed a bit at the contact. Even though they had spent that night and many nights before that together, things like this still got a reaction out of him.

"Not yet. Let's just enjoy today and go to Tajic and Lavinia's graduation ceremony with our friends." She told him with a smile. "I promise, when everything settles down today, I'll tell you."

"You promise?" Jace asked, cocking an eyebrow. "There's no getting out of it this time. There isn't going to be any falling into pools to try and change the subject this time around?"

"I promise." Liliana chuckled. "Now, let's go get some actual breakfast."

"Yeah, right after you slip into some actual clothes, I hope." Jace joked. "I mean, one sock, really?"

* * *

"The final exams!" Gideon exclaimed as he threw himself upright. A flurry of blankets flew about him as he sat up, leaving him dizzy as he frantically looked about. He wasn't at school, like he had just been only seconds ago- albeit he _was_ still in his underwear. Instead, he was sitting on the floor of his dorm room in a ruined nest of blankets and pillows he had pulled off his own and Jace's beds. The sun had yet to rise high enough to cast rays of light over his mountain of sound equipment, but it was definitely morning, and final exams were definitely over. With a relieved, loud sigh, he flopped down back onto the pile of pillows he had gathered up, staring up at the ceiling.

He was glad that nightmares about being late for his final exams in his boxers were the height of terror that reached him while he slept. The constant nightmares of lives he had lived no longer haunted him, and the countless deaths he had suffered no longer plagued his dreams. Things had finally settled back to how they used to be, and Gideon could finally enjoy a full night's sleep again- well, as full a night's sleep as he could get sleeping on the floor.

"Well, well, look whose finally up." Somebody laughed before they peered over the edge of the bed to gaze down at him. He recognized Chandra's eyes and her blazing, red hair, and remembered why he had been relocated to the floor. Jace had taken to spending his nights with Liliana, which left Gideon with an empty dorm room and a chance to keep his own company. And although there were nights where Chandra was more than happy to share a bed, every once in a while she just wanted to sleep untouched and by herself. And Gideon was always happy to oblige, although his aching back objected- so long as Chandra was content, that was all that really mattered. "I was starting to think you were going to sleep the day away and make us late for the ceremony."

"Of course not! I set an alarm!" Gideon insisted as he reached over and grabbed his phone he lad left beside his blanket cocoon. "... Or, at least, I thought I did."

"Thank the gods for whatever woke you up, or else I'd have to fry your ass awake again." Chandra joked as she reached over the edge of the bed, letting her arm hang over lazily.

"You know, a simple nudge would do the trick?" Gideon groaned as he reached up and gently took her hand. She closed her eyes contentedly, silently approving of the contact.

"Right, with your hard-sleeping ass? You wouldn't wake up to an earthquake." Chandra snorted.

"What about you? Pretty early to rise, even for you." Gideon observed, to which Chandra sighed and retracted her hand. She rolled back onto the bed and out of sight, forcing Gideon to sit back up so that he could peer over the edge. Chandra had sat up and loosely hugged her legs to her chest, her chin rested on her knees. "..Is something the matter? Did _I_ do something?"

"No, it has nothing to do with you, don't worry." Chandra assured him with an eyeroll. "It's just that... today would have been..." She paused, her gaze fixed on the view of outside. Her pause was long and thoughtful and was enough to earn Gideon's concern.

"Would have been what?" He asked as he slowly pulled himself up onto the bed. Chandra scooted over a bit, giving him some room, or giving herself some space- Gideon could never tell.

"I..." For a moment, it sounded like Chandra was about to get emotional, something welling up in her eyes before she closed them tightly and shook her head. "It's nothing, it's stupid."

"Doesn't look very 'stupid' to me." Gideon said insistently. "Come on, you can tell me- I promise not to judge."

"Nope." Chandra denied as she climbed her way over him and hopped off the bed and onto the floor. "It's a secret now. A girl has to keep at least some air of mystery."

"I've never been a big fan of mysteries." Gideon groaned as he reached out and took her hand to keep her from straying far. "At least tell me you're alright. You seem... I don't know, I guess you look a little upset."

"Oh, _psh_ , don't be such a worry-wart. I'm fine! Just lost in my own thoughts, that's all." She assured him as she drew close enough so that she could wrap his head in her arms and pull it close to her chest. "It's nothing to get worked up about- truly, it's nothing."

"...You promise?" Gideon asked, his words slightly muffled with his face pressed against her.

"I promise."

* * *

"Yet another graduation ceremony has come, hasn't it?" Sorin asked. The curtains had all been pulled over the windows, drenching the Markov household in darkness, just as always, and just as always him and Avacyn were passing one another by on the steps- her on her way out and him on his way up to his bedchamber. "Time certainly flies."

"Yes, and yet another ceremony that the dean of his own academy has to miss because of a 'cold', I assume?" Avacyn questioned, not waiting to get an answer before speaking up again. "I keep telling you to start holding them at night. It's just a little strange that you always happen to 'get sick' the day of graduation."

"I know, it probably does seem quite odd to people on the outside..." Sorin chuckled. "But... it's a tradition that isn't going to be upheld for very much longer."

"O-oh... correct. You have your spark back, so you have no real reason to stay here on Ravnica." Avacyn nodded as she suddenly grew stiff and her tone became serious as she looked down at the steps and towards the front door. "My apologies, I... I guess it slipped my mind that you'll be departing soon."

"Avacyn..."

"I'm sure you're very worried about what has become of Innistrad in your absence, I understand!" Avacyn cut him off abruptly. "It only makes sense for you to depart from this plane soon- and of course, you'll come back to visit, I know you will..."

"But?" Sorin asked, as if sensing Avacyn's discomfort, and her desire to do more than simply agree with his decisions.

"...I just never thought this day would actually come. It's always been a concept in the back of my mind, yes, but... pardon me for saying so, but it's still going to be upsetting to see you go. I'm sure you've already made your plans, and it isn't my place to stop you." Avacyn began to babble, reaching out to tightly grip the handrail beside the steps. "It will just be... different without you here. It will be really strange... not having to close the curtains in the morning."

Sorin was just barely able to hear the soft sound of something pitter-pattering against the wood of the steps. It was impressive, how Avacyn was able to keep from shivering, and how she was able to keep the tone of her voice so even, but, even though she was facing away from him, he could tell she was crying.

"You know, I've had a good week to consider my options. My spark has returned, as you said, and I have the liberty of being able to leave at any time. I have plenty of staff at the school who can take on my duty as dean for me- dozens of qualified people." He sighed as he began to walk back down the steps to Avacyn- to his _daughter_ \- and rested a hand on her shoulder. "But then I thought, where would that leave you? A guardian angel with no one to really guard. Surely, it would be a waste to leave you here without a purpose."

"I'm sure I'd find something to do with myself..." Avacyn assured him, her voice still surprisingly calm.

"What about being the guardian angel for the students attending this academy?" Sorin suggested, and finally Avacyn turned around, revealing her tears.

"Wh... what!?" She gasped. "M-me? But... I'm not even done with my schooling here! A-and then there's-!"

"And I am content to wait. In comparison to the thousands of years I've spent here, a few years while you finish up your education here and for college will pass in the blink of an eye." Sorin spoke with a smile on his face, wiping away Avacyn's tears. "And, when the time comes where you can take my place here at the academy, I will leave this school in your capable hands."

"Are... are you sure!?" Avacyn asked, her eyes growing wide and her cheeks getting flushed. "You don't have to force yourself for me- I don't want to force you to stay!"

"You're not forcing me to do anything, Avacyn." Sorin laughed. "This is something I chose to do on my own. You are the only person I can truly trust to guard this school in my absence, just how the original Avacyn was the only person I could trust to guard Innistrad while I was away. I'm willing to wait until such time where I can leave Ravnica Academy in your capable hands."

"You... you..." Avacyn began, attempting to keep her composure before she began to sob, burying her face in her hands. And as she did so, she felt him reach out and run his fingers through hr hair, like he always would do.

"I couldn't have asked for a better daughter, Avacyn." He told her warmly. And even as she cried, Avacyn smiled, wiping at her tears as she tried and failed to keep her sobs under control.

"Thank you... father."

* * *

"Oh goodness, we're really going to be late!" Emmara cried as she led the charge to the school's ceremony grounds. They were on the complete opposite side of the campus, near the college buildings, from where Emmara's apartment was situated. "I hardly even noticed the time!"

Nissa trailed behind her, easily able to keep up with Emmara's frantic run without having to exert a lot of effort. Emmara had insisted she didn't have to attend the graduation ceremony with her, but Nissa felt it would be best, since she had run the maze with Lavinia and Tajic and had gotten to know them a bit. That and she had her own plans- plans that involved making them run a bit behind in getting to the ceremony grounds, unfortunately.

"These things usually drag on- at least, we'll only miss some speeches. We'll get there in time to see them receive their diplomas and no one will be the wiser." Nissa assured her, but Emmara wouldn't have it as she attempted and more or less failed to pick up her pace.

"No, that will not do!" She groaned. "Lavinia is giving a speech at the ceremony, and I refuse to miss it! Especially as the Selesnya guildleader! It would be in poor taste for me to miss any bit of the ceremony at all!"

Emmara had been one of the few new guildleaders who had decided to keep their rank after the maze running. Just as Tibalt had said, a lot of those that had been elected into their positions had been controlled by Nicol Bolas, and with the former guildleaders awake and able to take back their positions, things had gone back, more or less, to normal. The only two who had kept their places after the mad jumble were Emmara and Ral Zarek, having no one to replace them and having no reason to step down. And with the maze running over, a strange air of peace had settled over the guilds, so at the very least Nissa didn't find herself having to worry about Emmara's well being.

"Oh! _Oh no_!" Nissa exclaimed, hoping what she didn't sound too forced as she came to a halt. Emmara unwillingly stopped, still jogging in place as she frantically turned to face Nissa. For a second, Nissa felt a little guilty, catching the look of frustration and panic in Emmara's eyes. She could only hope that what she had planned would sooth her mood a bit and not just make things worse. "I-I remember I left something back in the infirmary!"

"The _infirmary_!" Emmara exclaimed exhaustively, slumping forward. "What could possibly be in the infirmary!? Can it not wait!?"

"I'm sorry I just... it's really important!" Nissa insisted. "It won't take very long, I promise!" Emmara lightly stamped her foot and looked in the direction they were supposed to go with a quiet whine, but eventually slumped her shoulder in defeat.

"Oh, fine! But we're in and we're out! We have no time to dilly-dally!" She insisted as she began to run back the way they had come towards the academy. Nissa couldn't help but feel a little bad, but she swallowed her feelings of guilt. She had resolved to do what she had planned sooner, but hadn't been able to summon the wherewithal to do it, and she couldn't bear to wait another day. She only hoped what she wanted to do _would_ only take a short while.

They arrived at the school building- the entire place oddly quiet for the time of day. They didn't run into a single soul as they hurried down the halls. There was something intimate about the two of them alone in the entire building- no one to hear them or interrupt them. It was certainly an opportunity Nissa was passing up, if she wanted to do things quickly.

"Alright, here we are." Emmara sighed as she wiped at her brow and unlocked the door, allowing Nissa to step inside first. "What could you have possibly have left in here? You don't normally bring that many things aside from snacks when you stop by..." Nissa felt a chill run up her spine, hearing her partner sounding suspicious.

"Trust me, it's definitely something I need to grab!" She assured her as she hurried over to one of the cabinets, immediately regretting having left behind what she needed within. All of the mugs and pill bottles seemed to have rearranged themselves overnight- and maybe for organization purposes they had. She began to riffle through the jumble of bottles and glassware, hearing Emmara tap her foot impatiently.

"Really, in there?" Emmara asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not just trying to make us late? Or maybe you led me to this empty school building because we didn't have enough time this morning to-"

"E-Emmara, _no_!" Nissa exclaimed, blushing. "I wouldn't ever try and make you late for something important, and I have _some_ self restraint!" She heard her companion laugh at her back, and it only made her blush deepen.

"Of course, I was only teasing." She said playfully. "But if you could please hurry... Maybe I should call Lili and tell them we'll be a little late..."

"Ah! Found it!" Nissa exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly. She originally had intended to play things subtle, but she hadn't expected to be pressed for so much time, and certainly hadn't expected Emmara to rile her up shortly before she found what she was looking for. Cheeks still glowing red she turned back around, holding what she had found behind her back and clearing her throat.

"Excellent! Then we can hurry on over to-" Emmara began to say as she started to head for the door. However, before she could finish both her sentence and her exit, Nissa reached out and took her hand, pulling her back. "N-Nissa! What was that you said before- something about having some restraint?"

"Sorry, it's just... I've thought of a million ways I could possibly do this- so many what ifs, so many possibilities. But, it looks like I'll have to settle for doing this on... what really feels like the spot." Nissa nervously laughed. "But, I guess that's what our relationship has been over the years- not normal, and not what I expected..."

"Nissa... what are you...?" Emmara asked as Nissa let go of her hand and took a short step backward.

"But I know one thing for sure, and I just hope that things are the same for you... and it's that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. For real this time." Nissa spoke strongly, her gaze intense as she slowly lowered herself onto one knee and revealed the small, black box she had been hiding behind her back. Before she even asked, or even opened the box, Emmara was already tearing up. She threw her hands over her mouth and gasped happily, practically falling over where she stood. Her reaction was enough to elicit the same sort of emotion from Nissa, whose eyes began to brim with tears.

"Emmara... will you marry me?"

At first, all Emmara could do was nod and sob, but finally, she managed to form words through her tears.

"Yes!" She cried. "Yes, yes, a million times yes!"

Without even thinking to take the ring out of the box, Nissa instead stood to her feet and swept Emmara up in her arms, lifting her clean off of the ground. She held her close, the two of them nothing but tears, smiles and sobs.

"I love you, Emmara!"

* * *

Lavinia waited nervously backstage, pacing back and forth as she reviewed her note cards. She hadn't had much time after the maze to plan her speech after everything had wrapped up. She had to balance that last remaining days of school with visiting Tajic in the hospital, dealing with guild matters, and planning her graduation speech, and it all had left her frazzled. Lavinia thought of herself as an excellent student, she could play the violin decently, and she could carry out her duties for Azorious with pin-point precision, but public speaking? It certainly wasn't one of her strong points, especially now. Tajic was in the audience, unable to come to her aid, and Avacyn hadn't called.

"Shit!" She hissed to herself as she dropped her note cards onto the floor. Bunching up her gown to keep it from draping onto the floor, she knelt down and began to pick them up, but couldn't quite arrange them in order. Lavinia bit her lip in frustration, heaving a sigh as she heard the other members of the staff give their farewell addresses to the graduating seniors.

"Here, let me help you." A gentle voice spoke as someone rested their hand on top of Lavinia's. With a gasp, she looked up to see Avacyn, a huge bouquet of flowers in her arms. "Sorry it took so long. I guess the florist being busy today was something I should have expected."

"You... you came!" Lavinia exclaimed. "Thank the gods, I thought we weren't going to come!"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Lavinia. I'm sorry I didn't call- you must have been worried." Avcyn sighed as the two of them stood and Avacyn handed off the note cards she had picked up.

"I-it's alright." Lavinia assured her as she rubbed at her eyes before tears began to flow from them. The last thing she wanted was to go out on stage with smudged makeup, puffy eyes and red cheeks. "Those flowers..."

"Oh, they're for you and Tajic! Of course, I'll hold on to them for now, I don't want to have you go out on stage with a bunch of flowers in your arms." Avacyn chuckled lightly before she reached into the bouquet and pulled out one of the smaller blooms. "For now, you'll just have to deal with this." With careful hands, Avacyn tucked the small flower behind Lavinia's ear and fixed her hair.

"There... you look beautiful." She said with a proud smile. Lavinia strained her eyes to look, carefully running her fingers along the petals.

"You... you really think so?" Lavinia asked, blushing a bit.

"Of course." Avacyn nodded just as who was speaking on stage began to announce Lavinia. "Well, looks like I should get going."

"Ooh, I don't know if I can do this..." Lavinia groaned, looking down at her disorganized note cards. "What if I screw up!? That will be my legacy at this school! The girl who totally fucked up her farewell speech to her entire graduating class! There are people out there with cameras, Avacyn, people will remember!"

"Hush." Avacyn spoke calmly as she rested her hands on Lavinia's shoulders and pressed a long, deep kiss against her lips. The sound of cheering and clapping echoed from outside, but Lavinia could hardly hear it. Time slowed as she kissed Avacyn back, wishing the moment could last forever, or at least hadn't been when she was so pressed for time. But, as Avacyn's lips parted from her's, Lavinia couldn't help but feel a wave of clam wash over her. "There, for good luck."

"Th-thank you..." Lavinia said with a nod. With a smile and a nod and return, Avacyn began to turn to leave, but something else lingered on Lavinia's lips other than the faint taste of Avacyn's lipgloss.

"Wait!" She called out. Avacyn turned around in surprise, her beautiful, flowing, white hair gracefully fluttering about as she did. In that perfect light, in that moment, even without her wings unfurled, Avacyn truly looked like an angel. "I... I love you!"

"I love you, too, Lavinia." Avacyn smiled warmly before continuing her retreat, and Lavinia turned to face the stage.

"Well... here goes nothing." She sighed as she walked onto the stage to the sounds of clapping and cheering. She had experienced and survived more than enough things that year- a little speech was really nothing in comparison.

* * *

"Good afternoon, Mister Vol." Narset poked her head into the room, a smile on her face and a clipboard in her hands, as always. It had gotten to the point where she probably didn't need it, since her visits to Sarkhan Vol's room were so routine and quick, but she kept it on her, mostly out of habit. He looked up from his book with a smile, like the two of them were good friends and weren't just a nurse and a patient who had only met a little over a week ago.

Sarkhan had come to them badly wounded from some event that had happened at the academy. There had been a lot of talks about it that Narset hadn't been apart of, and had only heard through second-hand gossip. Something to do with a maze beneath the school, which sounded extremely far-fetched. Sarkhan's wounds had long since healed, and had he been a regular patient, they would have sent him home long ago, but he'd been kept for examination. Something to do with prolonged exposure to mind magic, or something similar. It was a hospital that specialized in aiding magic folk, so someone being kept because of something magical wasn't unheard of. And as much as Narset wanted to pry, she held her tongue around him, since their meetings were usually so relaxed and casual.

A lot of the other nurses were put off or afraid of Sarkhan, but Narset found him oddly charming, and her normal routine visits usually led to unrelated talks about books or magic she practiced outside of the hospital. It was odd for someone to be so interested in her hobbies, but certainly not unwelcome.

"And a good afternoon to you, too, Narset." He chuckled, amused by the spring she had in her step. "You seem oddly chipper. What's the occasion?"

"Oh? Nothing all that special." Narset sighed as she walked over, marking down Sarkhan's vitals. "It's just that Ravnica Academy is holding their graduation ceremony today, and it just gets me really nostalgic about when I attended the academy. I remember we always used to joke about how the dean of the school was a vampire..."

"A vampire? Well, that's surely interesting." Sarkhan chortled under his breath.

"It was a popular rumor, and we were just kids who didn't know any better." Narset shrugged, blushing. "Still, I wish I could go back- maybe then I might be able to figure out what I'm really meant to do."

"You aren't happy here, doing what you're doing?" Sarkhan asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, well, not exactly! I do enjoy working in the medical field, and I get to meet a lot of interesting people- like you!" Narset exclaimed, twirling her hair nervously. "I just... I feel like there's something more to life, but where I'm at now I might not be able to fully realize it."

"Something more..." Sarkhan parroted thoughtfully. "Do you think... maybe you were meant to do something more than this? Maybe you're fated to do something greater- to be someone greater?"

"Well, I... I mean don't we all feel like we're meant to do more? I always felt everyone was always a little dissatisfied with their lives- I'm really no different." Narset shook her head.

"Oh, but you are Narset. You may not be able to see it now, but maybe in the future, you'll be able to see what that thing that makes you so special is." He remarked, and Narset blushed slightly, pulling her clipboard close to her chest.

"Y-You flatter me, Mister Vol." She smiled uneasily. "Thank you but... I don't really think I'm 'special', per se."

"Well, maybe not from your perspective." Sarkhan sighed. "Maybe, when I'm discharged, and you find what makes you truly special, you'll come find me? I'm sure then, we'll have plenty more to talk about."

"I-if you say so..." Narset stammered. "I...I really wish I could stay, but I need to check up on other patients. O-oh, and tell me how that book is, when you're done reading it! I've been meaning to read it!" With a quick, polite bow, Narset hurried out of the room. Something in the air in Sarkhan's room, somehow, had gotten strangely intense. Her heart fluttered, and sweat had begun to form on her brow, but she hadn't the slightest idea why.

" _You may not be able to see it now, but maybe in the future, you'll be able to see what that thing that makes you so special is."_

"The thing that makes me special, huh?" Narset muttered to herself before almost running headlong into someone. The two of them were barely able to dodge one another, and Narset quickly whipped around to apologize.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

"No, I'm the one who should be apologizing, I should have gotten out of your way." The older gentleman who she had nearly plowed into replied politely. There was something odd about him, Narset could tell just by looking him over- it wasn't anything at all bad, just a little off-putting. The man had pale, slightly wrinkled skin and hair and a beard that were only slightly whiter. He wore a plain, white suit and held himself like somebody important. He seemed to practically glow, somehow- and maybe it was all the white he had on, but Narset could just barely sense some sort of aura about him. He was a mix of intimidating and kind-looking, and she couldn't quite figure out how to act- especially since she had almost run into him.

"It's a lucky coincidence I ran into you, though- maybe you can help me..." The older gentleman said with a smile. Narset stood at attention, trying to hide how nervous she was. "I'm looking for an old friend of mine, maybe you can point me in the direction of his room."

"Oh! Of course! I visit most of the patients on this floor, so there's a large chance I'll be able to." She nodded. "I just need a name."

"I'm looking for Sarkhan Vol."

"Oh! You know Mister Vol!" Narset gasped. "I-I'm sorry it's just... no one has really come to visit him, and he's never really talked much about his family or friends."

"Oh my, yes. Sarkhan and I go very far back. Although I haven't managed to get into contact with each other for some time- it seems I finally found an... opening in my schedule." The man nodded.

"Well, his room is actually at the end of this hall here, you can't miss it." Narset grinned, quickly taking out a pen. "I'll just need to take down your name, just in case."

"Ah, yes, of course." The man agreed. "My name is Ugin."

"Ug...in..." Narset said aloud as she wrote his name down. "Ugin wha-?" As she looked up, she came to find he had vanished. She looked all around her, but she couldn't spot him anywhere- and it wasn't like he could hide, with as bright-white as he was.

"Alright, just Ugin it is..." She shrugged, and began to continue her rounds. But even though he had vanished, the image of the man named Ugin stuck out in her mind, just as Sarkhan's words hadn't. She couldn't help but feel she had met him before, but she hadn't a single clue where. And she felt she would _remember_ a man like that. She continued her rounds in a trance, lost in her own thoughts until a commotion caught her attention.

"Have you at least checked the other floors!?"

"Yes, and no one has seen him at all!"

"They said they didn't see him leave at the front desk- maybe he left through the back?"

"Somebody still should have seen him!"

"What's going on!?" Narset asked, "Is somebody missing?"

"It's our patient from the Ravnica Academy incident- Sarkhan Vol!" One of the nurses explained. "He's completely vanished! Nobody saw him leave!"

"B-but... He just had a visitor! Maybe somebody saw _him_!" Narset offered up.

"A visitor?" Another nurse questioned. "Nobody signed in at the desk, did any of you see anyone?" Everyone shook their heads, looking confused and suspiciously at Narset.

"He was hard to miss- he was an older man wearing all white... named Ugin...?" Narset muttered. "I could have sworn I saw him..." The conversation frantically began to pull away from her, leaving Narset to ponder on her own. Why had nobody else seen Sarkhan's visitor? And where had Sarkhan gone? Why had nobody seen him leave?

" _Maybe, when I'm discharged, and you find what makes you truly special, you'll come find me? I'm sure then, we'll have plenty more to talk about."_

"Something special..." Narset mumbled to herself, clutching at her chest. "What did he mean by that... Mister Vol... where did you go?"

* * *

Chandra sat by herself, having made her way all the way back the the academy football field. Everyone else had gone to congratulate Lavinia and Tajic, but meanwhile she had snuck off by herself, somewhere along the way bumming a cigarette of a passing stranger. She was honestly surprised she had gotten one on her first try, considering how often people described her as looking childish. With a sigh she stuck the cigarette between her lips and summoned a small flame at her fingertip to light it.

_Today would have been..._

Holding the flame up to the cigarette she inhaled deeply, the overwhelming taste of smoke and menthol reaching her tongue and mouth and throat. Almost immediately she broke out into a fit of coughing, and was forced to remove the cigarette from her mouth so that she could catch her breath again.

"I have no idea how people do this..." She groaned as she looked at the lit cigarette, the tip hardly burned up into gray ashes. She rolled it around between her fingers, watching it slowly burn.

_Today would have been the day..._

Again, she placed the cigarette between her lips and took a smaller drag. With only a slight cough, she was able to withstand at least that much as she pulled it away and exhaled a small, trail of smoke into the air.

"She would have graduated today..." She sighed thoughtfully, watching the smoke dissipate. "I wonder what she even wanted to do... legally, anyway."

"Hey, guys, I found her!" Chandra looked up, noticing Ral Zarek at the bottom of the bleachers, waving to what she assumed was everyone else.

"Why did you run off like that, Chandra!?" Gideon called as him and the others climbed up the bleacher steps. He had Jace, Liliana and Avacyn with him as well- Lavinia and Tajic were oddly absent. "It's Lavinia and Tajic's big day and you just sort of- _is that a cigarette_?"

"Hmm, wh- oh... you mean this thing?" Chandra chuckled nervously as she held the still-smoking cigarette aloft. "W-well, would you look at that..."

"Oh, no, Gideon, dear, our poor little Chandra is becoming a delinquent!" Liliana cried out over-dramatically, holding her hand against her forehead.

"Where did we go wrong in raising her!?" Jace joined in.

"Shut _up_! I was just curious, that's all!" Chandra shouted, putting out the cigarette on the seat and leaving it there as she rose. "And I just needed to be alone for a while. I can congratulate Lavinia and Tajic until I'm blue in the face at their graduation party!"

"Yes, but before then, in the meantime, I suggest we go grab some pie!" Gideon announced.

"Seriously, this guy and pie..." Ral Zarek mumbled.

"It'll grow on you." Liliana chuckled.

"What, Gideon, or the pie?" He asked jokingly. "Because, trust me, being around Gideon you start to realize that you're eating... _way_ too much pie."

"No such thing!" Gideon laughed as Chandra made her way down to where he was. "What do you think, Chandra? Pie sound alright to you?"

"I don't think she deserves a slice of pie- going off to smoke, what a bad girl." Liliana continued to tease.

"She should be grounded for a week, at least!" Jace added. Chandra glared back at the both of them before linking arms with Gideon.

"I think pie sounds like a great idea." She grumbled, taking a pause to look back to where she'd left her cigarette. The passing wind had blown it away out of sight. "Yeah..."

"...Chandra, is something the matter?" Gideon asked, noticing her looking off somewhere into the distance.

"Hmm... oh, nothing's wrong, I promise!" Chandra perked back up, flashing him a wide grin. "I'm perfectly alright now."

* * *

The party was held at Lavinia's apartment, mostly because a lot of the furniture had been moved out already, but the spell to repair broken glasses and plates had not. A lot of people who were friends of Lavinia and Tajic's families stopped by, far outnumbering their friends- at least, until the entire football team showed up. The entire apartment was full of bodies well into the night, and hardly showed any signs of slowing down.

Jace stood by the wayside along the wall feeling like he needed to sit down- or lie down- or take a nap. A nap sounded nice. But he remained at the party, mostly because everyone else was there. And even though he was tired, it wasn't like he wasn't enjoying himself. Everyone was happy, celebrating without a care despite the fact they had been fighting for their lives a little over a week prior. Things had returned to normal, and just in time, too. With a smile, catching a glimpse of Chandra playfully slap Gideon on the arm, and Avacyn uncorking a bottle of champagne, and Ral Zarek arguing intensely with someone he didn't really recognize, he stared down at his reflection in his cup.

_To think this almost didn't happen..._

"Hey, loner, enjoying the party?" Liliana sidled up to him, nudging him playfully in the side. Jace stumbled, nearly spilling his drink, but laughed despite himself.

"Yeah, I'm just a little wiped, that's all." He chuckled weakly. "Maybe I need to sit down, or take a little break."

"Why don't we slip out for a little while." Liliana suggested. "Get away from the crowds for a second. It might help clear your head a little."

"Maybe- should we let the others know?" Jace asked as Liliana took his hand and began to lead him out.

"Oh, they'll be fine. I'm sure the party will go on without us." She assured him. "I need a little air myself, so let's head out."

Jace obeyed, following her out of the apartment building and into the dark of night outside. The air was still comfortably warm despite the sun having gone down, and the smells and sounds of other parties could be heard all around, even as they ventured deeper onto the campus grounds. It was oddly soothing, walking the paths alone at night, and Liliana became comfortable enough to lock her arm with Jace's and lean up against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's finally over... I mean, sure, this whole scheme has been going on for you for only a year now, but... I've lived the life of being Bolas' lacky for years and it just feels... I guess you could say this is what freedom feels like." Liliana sighed as she looked up at the stars. "I can go anywhere I want, do anything I want- nobody and nothing is stopping me. The sky's the limit."

"Yeah, I... I guess." Jace nodded, not sure exactly what Liliana was grasping at as she spoke.

"But then I get to thinking... my trials aren't really over just yet." She said, her tone suddenly changing.

"What do you mean?" Jace asked as Liliana pulled away from him and walked on ahead a ways, still focused on the stars twinkling above them. "Liliana?"

"There are still two demons out there that own Liliana Vess' soul- own _my_ soul. And now that Ravnica is no longer locked away, and now that my spark has reignited... I really can't risk standing still any more." Liliana sighed.

"You... you aren't talking about leaving, are you!?" Jace gasped. "I mean, not just leaving town, but leaving Ravnica? _Completely_?"

"That's... exactly what I'm getting at, Jace." She hung her head back down before turning to face him, her expression dead-serious. "The remaining demons will find me soon if I stay here, and they'll be coming to collect. I need to go out there so I can get stronger, so I can track _them_ down and, well, break my ties, so to speak- just as the original Liliana had done."

"Why... _why_ are you telling me this!?" Jace asked, sounding hurt.

"Because I don't want to leave this plane alone." Liliana explained, hitting him with a stare so intense it robbed Jace of his breath for a brief second. "The original Liliana, she always traveled alone. She never really knew companionship like I do. She never really, truly realized just how much having someone with her would help. But I do... and if I have to go it alone, I honestly have no choice but... I don't _want_ to."

"Lili, I-"

"Please, Jace!" She practically begged, "Come, travel the multiverse with me. Help me truly find freedom because... I know in my heart I can't do this alone! I know I can't do this without you, Jace..."

"..." Jace was silent at first, turning his gaze to the stars. He remembered when he had been swept up in the blind eternities, and reaching out and feeling something familiar- something almost like home, somewhere out there in the swirling expanse. Somewhere _other_ than Ravnica. "It will be really hard to leave our lives and friends behind."

"Yes, I know, but it's not like we can't ever come back!"

"And it'll be really dangerous- we might even lose our lives."

"Not if we're careful, we won't!"

"Well, it may be pretty difficult, but I really don't see any problem coming with you, so long as we're careful."

"Okay, I know it's really crazy sounding, but just hear me out for a- wait..." Liliana paused, looking at Jace as he turned to her and smiled. "You... you're serious. Like... this isn't a joke, is it? Because if it is, I'm going to punch you _right_ in the face!"

"Liliana, calm down- I'm not joking." Jace chuckled. "If it's for you... hell, I'll follow you anywhere. I'm not letting you slip through my grasp again."

"Jace you... you..." Liliana muttered, tears beginning to form in her eyes and trickle down her cheeks. "Thank you..."

"Hey, now, don't cry!" Jace laughed as he rushed to her side.

"It's your fault, you gigantic asshole!" Liliana sobbed, attempting to wipe away her tears that were still flowing.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Jace jokingly apologized as he rubbed her back.

"... Jace..." Liliana mumbled between sniffles.

"Was there something else you wanted to add?" Jace asked with a slight chuckle. "Like how I'm a moron, or a nerd, maybe?"

"Well of course your a moron and a nerd... That goes without saying..." Liliana laughed slightly with a sniffle, wiping at her eyes one last time before she looked back at him with a smile and watery eyes. "But what I wanted to say was that... I love you."

"Heh... I love you, too, Lili." Jace smiled, pulling her close. "To the multiverse and back."


	53. Reunion

It was early enough that sun had even yet to begin to rise, but Chandra, Gideon, Jace, Liliana and Avacyn were wide awake. Driving along the country road in Chandra's truck, none of them said a word, but none of them dared to even attempt to get a little shuteye on their way to their destination. They had hardly even slept the night before, but an inexplicable energy kept them all awake, and it hung heavily in the air. And all through the entire trip, nobody spoke- there were no words for them to share, at least not then. At that moment, all each of them wanted to do was embrace the peace that passed over them as they drove.

"Hey, it's coming up." Jace finally pointed out as he leaned forward between the front and passenger seats.

"Do we need to park in a specific place?" Chandra asked, taking note of the chain-link fence they were approaching. The last time they had come, they had parked farther away, so it felt a little strange to park in plain sight right along the road. It felt like they were trespassing again, even though they weren't. Not this time.

"I don't remember anybody saying anything about parking spaces." Gideon shrugged. "I say we just park wherever."

"Middle of the street it is." Chandra snorted as they pulled along the fence, continuing to drive a ways down the road.

"You know what I mean." Gideon rolled his eyes, and the silence returned. No one dared to speak, no one dared to chase the peace away. They wanted it to last as long as possible, for as long as they could keep it up.

Chandra parked the truck along the roadside, near where they could see what looked like a door built into the fence, and at first no one dared to exit the vehicle. They basked in the silence a little more, looking out into the thick woods just beyond the fence. They all could feel it: a quiet call of something familiar. The pull from the past that still lingered in what lied beyond. Somebody sighed, someone else coughed, and the clunking sound of someone slightly cracking open a door finally broke the silence.

"Let's hurry up, I don't want to miss the sunrise." Liliana spoke up as she slid out of the car, followed fluidly by Jace and Avacyn who exited and stretched their limbs. Gideon joined them, but Chandra remained in the driver's seat, resting her chin on the wheel as she gripped it a little tighter.

"Don't tell me you're getting tired now, Chandra?" Gideon chuckled, and Chandra groaned in response as she pushed herself away from the wheel, eyes still fixed on the road ahead. Gideon had asked, but he knew she wasn't tired. The way she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow and bit her lip- Gideon knew she wasn't completely content. She had done so well until then, but he certainly hadn't expected her to stay quiet about her objection to what was about to take place for very long. With a sigh he crawled back into the cabin and ruffled her hair.

"Come on, at least try to act like you're not pissed off." He spoke softly, and she jerked away from him to open her door in frustration.

"I'm not pissed." She grumbled as she ungracefully hopped out.

"Hey, you forgot to hang the-" Gideon began to call after her before she slammed the door in his face. "-parking permit..." With a sigh he reached into the glove box where he had stashed it and hung it on the rear-view mirror himself. "Not pissed" indeed...

"If we make good time, we'll be through the wooded area in ten minutes." Avacyn informed them. "Not like last time."

"We're not blindly walking through the woods this time, thank god." Liliana laughed as she looked out towards the thicket. A wind blew passed them, picking up bits of dirt and dry pieces of grass. It felt as if Ravnica itself was telling them to move along. It was giving them a little push, like a mother bird nudging her chicks out of the nest.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going." Chandra sighed as she pulled a small, silver key from her pocket with a big, red tag attached to it. It said to return it to the designated place they had rented it out from, but everyone silently questioned if Chandra would ever actually return it at all, or not try and make copies, at least.

"It feels really odd we're not sneaking in." Jace laughed as they all walked to the door in the fence. "Maybe we should just melt down the lock, for old times sake." Everyone laughed but Chandra, who, despite Jace's joking, unlocked the lock that was keeping the door closed as they were meant to. Their collective laughs and chuckles died, each one of them noticing Chandra's odd behavior. Little by little, it was chasing the peace away. Or maybe it had been a fabrication all along.

They all filed in behind Chandra, reverently entering the woods that separated them from the old Ravnica ruins. No one dared speak, allowing birds and crickets to do the chattering as they ventured deeper and deeper. Looking at the tops of the trees, through the thick bunches of leaves, they could see the sky slowly growing lighter, but within the forest things still felt like night time. Not that anyone brought a flashlight- they relied on the pull from the energy that still lingered there and the call of spirits led them along.

Quietly they marched along, not stopped by branches or roots or bushes, and the further they went, the more obvious it was that Chandra wasn't enjoying herself. Even when they made it out of the thick of the woods and could look out over the grand view of the old, crumbling city ruins, she could hardly muster the enthusiasm she had when they had first visited. She stared back at the old buildings and crumbling walkways as if they were mocking her.

The wind blew again, urging them to continue forward.

"Hold on, I just want to take it in just a little longer." Liliana spoke up before the others began to carefully traverse down the steep hill before them. "It's beautiful... there's probably no other place like it."

"Yeah..." Jace agreed as they gazed down at the ruins. The place they had failed to protect once, the place they had fought to save, the place that stood because of them now- they could feel the spirits of old Ravnica thanking them wordlessly and quietly. The wind died down only for a moment, and a true hush fell over the land.

_Ravnica continues to live on..._

"Take a picture, it will last longer." Chandra's voice cut through the darkness, her boots scraping along the dirt as she began to slide down the hill alone. "Let's hurry up- don't want to miss that sunrise."

"Sorry about her." Gideon sighed as he shook his head.

"It's no problem, we figured she'd eventually start acting like this." Jace assured him. "I'm honestly surprised she kept up the facade all summer." Gideon gave him a tired half smile as if to silently apologize and thank him as he followed after Chandra.

"She probably didn't want to ruin the mood." Avacyn shrugged as she, too, began to make her way down the hill. "I doubt she wanted to make all those memories, remembering she was miserable and angry the entire time."

"It was a nice summer." Liliana nodded as she reached out to take Jace's hand. "It's one I'll never forget." Jace smiled as he warmly gripped her hand in response. He could feel it shake a little, and he couldn't help but notice her eyes grow misty as she looked out over the landscape, but with a deep breath and a long, drawn-out sigh, her quivering stopped and the wind began to blow again.

"Okay, I'm ready." She said with a smile, taking her first steps down the hill, leading Jace along with her.

"Like, what, you weren't ready before?" Jace laughed. She only looked back at him with a smirk in response and said not a word more as they returned to the company of their friends.

"Let's go to the tower we went to the last time." Jace suggested. "We'll be able to get a nice view of the sunrise from there." He looked to Chandra and smiled, but she only grumbled something he could hardly hear- maybe something about him being a dork or a moron, or both, he couldn't quite make it out- as she kicked at a rock that lay at her feet. Gideon nudged her, probably having heard what she had said under her breath, but she only nudged him back, a little rougher than he had.

"Hopefully we can make it in time." Liliana added, making the comment more to fill the air than anything.

"If we hurry, we should get there just in time." Avacyn said with a nod.

" _Great_." Chandra grunted sarcastically, and with her bitter comment the five of them were off again. Quiet washed over them once more, but there was something else- the pinpricks of nervousness, the slightest aura of worry, the heat of anger. Not that it was going to change anyone's mind, but the feel of the atmosphere around them had certainly changed. It lingered there as they continued through the ruins and as they made their way up the tower. No one dared to speak or bring it up, or attempt to lighten the mood. They could do that at the top- at the end of their journey and at the beginning of another.

"Thank the gods, we made it!" Liliana sighed once they reached the top. The air was cooler and the wind whipped by a little stronger, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. A slice of pink barely stretched across the horizon, a few beams of light cutting across the sky.

"Nothing like some good ol' cardio to make you appreciate a view." Gideon laughed as he joined her, the gasps and wheezes of Chandra and Jace at his back. Avacyn silently brought up the rear, not having even broken a sweat from their climb.

"Says the guy who practically works out for a living." Jace quipped as he reached the top and immediately found a place to sit. "I bet you guys are going to tell stories like 'hey you guys remember Jace, the guy who couldn't even climb stairs?'"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of other legacies to leave behind." Gideon laughed as he walked over next to him, choosing to remain standing. "Like 'Jace, the guy who tried out for the football team and got totally obliterated' or 'Jace, the guy who everyone thought killed a guildleader that one time'."

"Thanks, Gideon." Jace snorted.

"No, but for real, we'll remember you guys as good friends. Probably the best friends we've ever had." Gideon assured him. "We'll remember you as the guy who saved Ravnica from getting destroyed."

"Yeah..." Jace smiled weakly as he looked out toward the view, watching as Chandra walked out to the edge and took a seat by herself, her legs dangling over the ledge. "I bet Chandra's going to remember me and Liliana as the assholes who left her behind."

"She'll be fine, she's just not good at goodbyes. She'll bounce back eventually, so long as you guys promise to come back every once in a while." Gideon sighed. "You... are coming back, right?"

"Of course we are." Jace insisted. "Ravnica's our home, it's not like we'd ever totally abandon it."

"I'll hold you to that." Gideon nodded, watching as Avacyn sat herself next to Chandra quietly, watching the horizon with her without a word. She could probably empathize with Chandra the most, her father due to leave, himself, once she'd finished her schooling. It wasn't long before Chandra leaned her head on the quiet angel's shoulder, seeking comfort from her cohort.

"You guys, get over here!" Liliana called out to Gideon and Jace. "The sun's rising."

"Coming, hold your horses!" Gideon shouted back, offering Jace a hand to help him up. "Let's enjoy this last sunrise together."

"Yeah..." Jace nodded, a warm lump growing in his throat as he took Gideon's hand. The last sunrise... it had a certain melancholy tone to it that finally tugged at Jace's heart. Their last outing, their last adventure, their last look at Ravnica...

"No..." Jace changed his mind. "This isn't the last. We'll be back to see the Ravnican sun rise again, I'm sure of it."

Jace and Gideon joined the others just as the first peaks of gold rose over the horizon, lighting only the tallest towers and spires in the ruins. The warm rays of the sun reached them there at the top, bathing them in a soothing glow. Jace turned away a moment, giving his eyes a rest and catching a glimpse at Liliana who was looking unwavering at the horizon. Tears flowed from her eyes and ran down her cheeks as the first signs of emotion grew more and more on her face. She sobbed and sniffled as a frown tugged at her lips. Feeling his own eyes grow moist- the saltiness of tears beginning to sting them- he reached out and took her hand, and he felt her desperately grip at his.

_We'll come back... we'll definitely come back._

Suddenly, Chandra stood to her feet, looking troubled, her eyes growing watery. Balling her hands into fists, she took in a deep breath and leaned back as far as she could. Before Jace or anyone else could even wonder what it is she was about to do, she bowed forward and shouted- no, _roared_ into the air, her cry echoing all around them, reaching far below them to the shorter towers and ruined buildings. She didn't say a word, just yelled and yelled, her face growing red. And, much to Jace's surprise, he jumped as he heard Liliana join in with her, her voice cracking as she continued to cry. Soon Gideon and even Avacyn had joined in their chorus of furious shouting. And, not wanting to be left out, Jace eventually lent his own voice.

It felt good, better that words and promises and crying. It felt good to just shout into the wind, all of their worries and troubles and frustrations mixed in with the din. It drained him and relieved him. All of his worries and fears were expelled in his shouts and swept up by the passing wind.

"Well... that was something." Liliana sniffled, wiping at her eyes as a smile stretched across her face before looking out at the sunset one last time. "...I think it's time to go now."

"Me, too." Jace nodded as he turned to the others. "Thanks for coming out with us... and thanks for the amazing summer. Even if you don't think so, it really did help."

"We're going to miss you." Avacyn spoke up. "But just know that Ravnica will always be here waiting for you. We'll all be here, should you ever feel lonely out there in the multiverse."

"Hopefully the diner will be there, too!" Gideon joked. "When you come back, I'm treating you guys to a whole pie!"

"Hey, so long as you're paying." Jace smirked, looking to Chandra who had shuffled into the background with her hands back in her pockets. She looked down at the ground, her bottom lip poking out in an angry pout. She scrapped her shoes against the ground, refusing to look up.

"Chandra." Gideon said in a scolding tone as he lightly nudged her. "Don't you have anything to say to either of them." Chandra groaned angrily, seeming to retreat further and further inward as she slouched forward. With a frustrated snarl, she finally looked up, her eyes locking with Jace before she spoke in a voice that was just barely audible and partially mumbled.

"Ral has a gigantic crush on you..."

"Ral has wha...?" Jace muttered before smirking and snorting, which evolved into full blown laughter as Chandra returned to glaring at the ground. Jace grabbed his sides as he laughed, unable to keep himself from grinning. He should have expected as much.

"Chandra, come on, don't be like that." Gideon scolded.

"No, no, it's fine!" Jace chuckled, wiping at his eyes. "This really isn't goodbye anyway, so it's fitting. It's more like... we'll see you later."

"Yeah... later." Gideon nodded, his voice cracking a bit.

"Thank you guys for everything. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Liliana cut in. "I wouldn't _be who I am_ if it wasn't for you. You all have my eternal gratitude."

"I guess that means a lot coming from the old lady whose probably going to outlive all of us." Gideon joked.

"Hey, who are you calling old!?" Liliana gasped playfully.

"Lili..." Jace cut in, locking arms with her.

"...Right. If we don't go soon, we never will." Liliana sighed. "You guys better not ruin things while we're gone. And Gideon, you'd better treat Chandra right or else I'm going to come back to rot away your junk!"

"Yikes! There's a threat that has some bite!" Gideon smirked nervously.

"Alright..." Liliana said, turning to the horizon. "Let's go." Jace said nothing in response, only smiled and nodded as the two of them took a step out into the open air, over the edge. In one second, it seemed they were about to walk right over the edge, but in a blink of an eye and with a gust of wind, the two of them were gone. The remaining three stood in silence, unsure of what to do or what to say.

"Uurgh..." Chandra grunted before she pushed passed Gideon and Avacyn and ran to the edge. And with tears in her eyes she finally spoke, as loud as she possibly could- as if she was trying to hurl her voice across the Blind Eternities."YOU TWO BETTER COME BACK YOU HEAR ME!? IF YOU TAKE OFF AND NEVER COME BACK, I'M GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND KICK BOTH YOUR ASSES! I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER LEFT!"

She hunched over, attempting to catch her breath as she sobbed. Tears fell from her eyes and dripped onto the ground.

"You'd... better... come back..." She gasped weakly.

Feeling someone rest their hand on her shoulder, she jumped, coming to find Gideon had come to join her. Her looked down at her with a reassuring smile, and she turned away, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"They'll come back." He reassured her. "I know they will. Friends never break their promises."

* * *

"Man, every time we come back here, I swear- this place never changes."

Chandra and Gideon stood before the Ravnica Academy campus doors. All sorts of festive lights had been hung around the lawn and on the outside of the building, and a gigantic banner stretched from one edge of the doorway to the other, welcoming back Gideon's graduating class after ten years. Several familiar faces passed them by- all a little different from when they had last seen them. Some looked older, some looked a little more tired, some seemed more confident- it made both of them wonder how they looked now to the rest of them.

"I keep telling Avacyn she should try and changing things up, but she insists on keeping things the same" Chandra sighed. "The same tastes as her dad..."

"I think it's nice." Gideon chuckled. "I think I'd be a little sad if this place got a total makeover. Every time we come back here, it takes me back to when we were students."

"Oh, dry your eyes, you big sap." Chandra sneered as she locked arms with him. "Let's go see if we can find the others."

Arm and arm, the two of them entered the building. They lingered in the entryway for a moment, looking to the center where the floor tiles had been replaced- where the entrance to the old maze used to be. Obviously there was never any reason for Sorin or Avacyn to re-open the maze- it had served it's purpose long ago, and there was no point in sending anyone else into it's depths. Now it just rested beneath the school, holding nothing but memories.

"Chandra! Gideon!" A familiar voice called out to them. Much to their surprise they turned to find Emmara, hardly looking any older, just like always. She still looked like a student, or maybe, at least, a visiting college student. Just like the school building, they could always trust Emmara to remain unchanged.

"Emmara, what are you doing here?" Chandra laughed. "This is a class reunion, and it's been ten years but I'm _pretty_ sure you weren't apart of Gideon's graduating class."

"What, and I should miss my chance to see you two again!" Emmara pouted as she crossed her arms. "You two haven't stopped by in months!"

"...You're just hoping we brought along pictures of your goddaughter, aren't you?" Chandra finally chuckled, catching Emmara red-handed, judging by the guilty look on her face. Already, Gideon had taken out his wallet, stuffed to the brim with small, wallet-sized prints of their daughter's preschool photos. "Sorry we didn't bring her along this time, she's spending the night with her Uncle Charles."

"Oh, goodness... I-I don't mind seeing you two, too!" Emmara stammered. "It's not like I don't miss you as well! I just don't get to see little Scarlet as often as I see you and, well..."

"Nissa still on the fence about kids, huh?" Gideon asked as he offered her one of each of the prints, knowing that she wouldn't want to have to choose just one. Emmara took them happily before sighing and resting a hand on her hip.

"She's always off on business, so I guess she has a point when she says maybe now isn't the time. If we're to have a kid or adopt one, she wants the both of us to be around all the time to raise it." She sighed. "Right now she's constantly traveling between here and Zendikar. It's still an uphill battle trying to return it to its former glory, or at least that's how it seems. That and her private investigation team is always finding new leads about Ashiok, so even when she's here, she's busy."

"Not too busy for you, I hope." Chandra grinned. "Or else I'm going to have to kick her sorry butt when she gets back."

"Oh, don't you worry about me, she showers me with enough affection between jobs, I could run off of that for weeks on end." Emmara assured her.

"How is the Ashiok situation, anyway?" Gideon asked. "Have they resurfaced at all?"

"She gets leads, and sometimes they seem like they'll pan out, but so far that's all they have been for the most part." Emmara shook her head. "But we're all keeping ever-vigilant. They're certainly still out there, and they can't keep running and hiding forever."

"That's the spirit." Gideon smiled before turning in the direction of the dance hall. "Are you going to the party... you're more dressed for work than anything else."

"Oh, well... to be perfectly honest, I still am filling out guild paperwork- it's that time of year again, all these new members funneling in." Emmara admitted. "Maybe if I finish I'll join you, crash you young kid's party."

"Heh, you're always more than welcome." Chandra laughed.

"Save me some champagne!" Emmara grinned back before she turned on her heel and ran back to her office.

"I'm glad she's doing well." Chandra sighed happily before turning in the direction of the party. "Hopefully everyone else is doing just the same."

The dance hall was awfully crowded when they arrived, more people standing and talking and drinking on the dance floor than actually dancing. They were all busy catching up, keeping people up to date about their lives, sharing what they had experienced since their high school days. The air was warm and full of laughter, people smiling and shouting excitedly and hugging- old friends meeting up again after years apart.

"Hmm, should we get something to drink before we start looking for people?" Chandra suggested just before someone called their names.

"Gideon! And _Chandra_ , what a surprise!" The two of them turned to see Ral Zarek and Avacyn making their way through the crowd to them. Ral enthusiastically waved, and Avacyn slightly raised hers in greeting. Ral had hardly changed since high school- just a little taller and with more facial hair. He still dressed about the same, still acted about the same- just another thing they could trust would never change. Avacyn, on the other hand, had cut her hair much shorter, probably to keep up a more professional appearance as the dean of the academy. She always was very reserved at first, each time they saw her, like she had been when they first met her, but it never took too long to melt her cold exterior.

"Wow, Chandra you... have you even grown since high school?" Ral asked mockingly as he swiped his hand right over her head. "Just as small as ever, huh?"

"What about you? Just as single as ever, right?" Chandra bit back.

"Well, look who came out swinging!" Ral laughed. "What are you even doing here, it's been a while but I _clearly_ remember you were in the grade below us in high school."

"I'm Gideon's plus-one... what's their excuse." Chandra lightly snarled as she pointed behind Ral and Avacyn to both Lavinia, who was holding Avacyn's hand, and Tajic, who was holding Lavinia's other hand.

"Oh, dear, do we stand out _that_ much?" Lavinia nervously laughed. Lavinia had grown out her hair only a little bit since high school, but still had the rather masculine build she had before. She had jumped between a lot of careers after her school days, eventually settling in on playing in an orchestra that traveled all over Ravnica. Chandra had made sure to buy all of their CDs she could find, and see their performances whenever possible. Tajic had easily settled into the life of professional football, which hardly surprised anyone. Him and Gideon often met on the field as opponents on different teams, keeping score of who one and lost and treating each other to drinks afterward. It as a tradition they had kept for years that was still going strong.

Avacyn, Lavinia and Tajic had yet to officially tie the knot, although there were always talks sparked by late nights and, often times, alcohol.

"What _are_ you two doing here?" Gideon asked. "It's not like we don't see you every once in a while. Unless, of course, you're just here for the open bar."

"Oh... you know why." Lavinia sighed, resting her hands on her hips and aiming her gaze elsewhere in the room.

"We're all thinking it." Tajic nodded, and the rest of them smiled hopefully. There were always an empty space big enough for two whenever they met- during holidays or football games, or birthdays and weddings. They were always hoping, during those times, that the empty space would get filled. Always hoping...

"I mean, yeah, it's not like they stuck around to graduate, but it would still be appropriate for _them_ to return tonight." Ral said eagerly. "It makes sense."

"I bet you have fantasies of what Jace looks like now, a full grown adult probably all weathered and worldly from traveling the multiverse." Chandra teased. "No one has been stopping you- you have a spark. You could always go off after him."

"Oh shut up." Ral rolled his eyes. "And you know I'm _far_ too busy at the lab to even consider planeswalking- and you're one to talk!"

"Excuse me, sorry for having a kid and book deadlines!" Chandra snapped, crossing her arms. "Parenthood really fills up your schedule- not that you'd know."

"When are you publishing your next book?" Avacyn pipped up. "I've already read your last one several times."

"Avacyn... honey... you know my stories are mostly read by young _teenagers_ , right?" Chandra chuckled, although she couldn't help but feel flattered at least one of her friends read her books regardless of the reading level. "Still... at the pace my editor is slave-driving me, I'd say I'll finish the next installment before the year is over."

"Excellent!" Avacyn smiled, lacing her fingers together. "I know you don't planeswalk yourself, but the way you write your fantasy, I would have thought you visited other worlds before."

"Well, having access to the ol' secret library certainly doesn't hurt." Chandra blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks again, as always, for letting me continue to use that place to research for my stories."

"Any time. It's always nice to see a familiar face around the academy. The kids here are so eager to grow up and get out of here it leaves me almost dizzy." Avacyn admitted. "Or maybe time is just passing by more quickly because we're getting older."

"Says the angel whose age is in the quadruple digits." Ral joked.

"Come on, let's catch up more over some drinks!" Tajic announced, making his way over to the refreshments.

"Ah-hah! So you _did_ come here for the free booze!" Chandra exclaimed.

"I never said I hadn't."

* * *

Chandra sat against the chain-link fence on the roof, two opened and empty beer bottles at her side. She stared up at the night sky, feeling incredibly small (and not to mention more than just a little drunk). She sniffled, her eyes watering a bit and blurring her vision. The party down below had begun to clear out, although Gideon and the others had yet to clear out themselves. They were all still hopeful, even though the party had gone on for hours, and for drink after drink, and was starting to reach the endgame. The festive lights that had been hung around the building had been shut off, and the music in the dance hall could no longer be heard, thumping away. And, just below her, Chandra could hear people calling to one another, making themselves useful and taking down the banner hanging at the door.

"They promised." She told herself, her words slurring together as she spoke them. "...They promised all of us..."

"Chandra!" At first she thought she was hearing things, but soon Gideon wandered into her vision, looking more than happy he had finally found her. "I finally found you. I really should have just checked up here first- you never change."

"They still don't... lock the doors to the roof." Chandra chuckled, her head lulling to one side weakly, the world spinning as she moved ever slightly.

"Heh, this reminds me of the night we got together in high school." Gideon mused as he took a seat next to her. "Remember, you ran up here all upset, because Jace kissed Liliana. You were so mad, I was afraid you were gonna set me on fire."

"Thank the gods I didn't huh?" Chandra lightly laughed.

"Yeah..." Gideon sighed as the two of them looked up at the stars in silence.

"...Gideon?" Chandra pipped back up. "... Do you think they forgot their promise?"

"Ah, I don't think they'd ever do something like that." Gideon assured her. "They're probably just busy out there... wherever they are."

"What, and we're not?" Chandra groaned as she clumsily stood to her feet and turned to face the fence. She laced her fingers through the criss-crossed metal and choked back a sob. "You're constantly traveling across the country for football, and we're raising and kid and I'm constantly writing, and yet we always make time for our friends! Whenever they want to see us, or there's an event where we might see them, we drop everything and go! Hire a babysitter, rent a hotel room, drive for hours- even if it's just for a night at a bar! We're busy and we make time, so why can't they!?"

"Chandra..." Gideon gasped slightly as she messily wiped away her tears and sniffled drunkenly.

"You think they've forgotten about us, Gideon?" Chandra asked sadly. "Like... maybe they've been to so many new and interesting places and met so many people they've totally forgotten all about us."

"No, _never_!" Gideon gasped as he, too, stood up and pulled her to his side. "They'd never forget about us, I'm sure of it. Plus, it would be really hard to forget someone like you."

"Always the flirt..." Chandra weakly chuckled. "I'm sorry I just... I'm drunk and emotional and I got my hopes up for weeks..."

"There, there, no one's judging you." Gideon spoke softly as he rubbed her back. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed they didn't show, too. But they will, some day... they promised."

"Yeah... they promised..." Chandra muttered.

"Hey, let's say we go downstairs and grab a few more drinks before they kick us out." Gideon smiled, reaching down to gently take Chandra's hand. "It'll be warm, probably, but it will do the trick."

"Heh, now you're speaking my language." Chandra laughed as they turned to leave. However, as they did, they came to find two other people walking out onto the roof from the stairwell. Two familiar people- familiar people who they hadn't seen in years.

"J-Jace... Liliana!" Chandra gasped, feeling her legs grow weak as she practically fell against Gideon.

"See, I told you they'd be on the roof!" Liliana smirked. "Classic Chandra, never change."

"Jace! Liliana!" Chandra cried again, pushing off of Gideon to hurl herself at her long-lost friends. She threw her arms around Liliana, who happily embraced her back. "You- you- you actually _came_! You came back you-" Chandra pulled away with an insulted gasp. "You never called or visited for over ten years! You _bastards_!"

"Helped yourself to a few drinks, huh?" Jace laughed.

"It's your fault, you assholes drove me to drink!" Chandra accused. "What's the big idea, showing up to a party when it's almost completely over!? Did you leave your manners in the Blind Eternities!?"

Jace had grown at least a few inches, now much taller than Liliana. He looked much more adult, no longer looking a strange combination of a teenager and a child, and had a light dusting of stubble across his chin and jaw. Liliana, on the other hand, had hardly changed. Her hair was a little longer, and she had a more traveled air about her, but she still remained how she appeared when she had left- the years being altogether very kind to her.

"Sorry about her, she has been helping herself to the alcohol downstairs." Gideon apologized as he made his way over, obviously holding himself back since Chandra had enough drunken enthusiasm for both of them. "It's... it's really good to see you guys..."

"Oh my gods, Gideon, are you _crying_!?" Liliana gasped with a smirk. "Looks like even big, strong men like you are still slaves to emotion."

"Hey, can you blame me!?" Gideon grinned, wiping at his eyes. "You guys... it's... it's been so long I..."

"Oh man, here come the water works!" Jace laughed. "Glad to see we were missed so much, we were worried maybe you'd forgotten us."

"That's what _we_ thought!" Chandra gasped, still clinging to Liliana. "And you shitheads still haven't explained why you're so late! You missed a perfectly good party!"

"Sorry I just... I wanted to visit my family before we swung by here." Jace apologized. "Needless to say, things got emotional and we couldn't just pop in and leave right away."

"How are your parents anyway?" Gideon asked. "Last I checked, I don't remember you even told them you were leaving."

"They were pretty pissed, trust me." Jace laughed. "But... it was still really good to see them. It seems time has... softened their hard feelings between them and me." He looked down at the ground and genuinely smiled, letting out a small, satisfied sigh. "It was nice to see them."

"What about us, huh!?" Chandra asked. "You're happy to see us, too, right!?"

"Of course, of course! You've... you've grown... I think." Liliana laughed.

"Ass..." Chandra chuckled as she finally pushed away from her and dabbed at the tears in her eyes.

"Well... we have a lot to talk about." Liliana laughed. "I almost don't know where to start."

"I imagine so." Gideon agreed. "So why don't we start with some drinks and see where that takes us. I'm willing to stay up all night hearing about you guys' adventures if I have to!"

"Well, you just might." She smirked. "And a drink sounds absolutely lovely."

"... You guys go on ahead." Jace spoke up. "I want to stay up here for a little bit longer... collect my thoughts."

"Oh, what's this, waxing nostalgic, I see?" Liliana teased. "Fine, we'll call for you if we decide to leave before you decide to come down." She turned to travel back down the stairs, Gideon and Chandra close behind.

"Now, Gideon, you're going to love this- let me tell you all about Theros..."

Jace chuckled to himself as he ventured further onto the roof and out to the fence. He looked over the campus grounds- at the town where he used to live. It had hardly changed- a few more buildings here, a new addition to the dorms there, but for the most part it was the same. The place that had remained in his mind all throughout his travels had remained at a standstill, as if it had been waiting for him to return. Sure, they had released a lot of magic and mana from the maze that lay below the city, but change was gradual- he knew that all too well. But he had faith things were changing for the better on Ravnica just by how things had gone over with this parents.

"Maybe this place will return to it's former glory someday..." He mused to himself.

"Hey!" Jace jumped as someone shouting at him tore through the peace. He turned to find Chandra, a mere few steps away from him, frowning sharply in his direction.

"O-oh, Chandra! I figured you'd gone downstairs with Liliana and Gideon..." Jace admitted, blushing a bit.

"You're late!" She growled.

"I-I'm what?"

"You're _late_! You missed way too many things, Beleren!" She continued to shout, pointing an accusing finger as she approached him. "You missed Gideon's graduation and my graduation, mine and Gideon's wedding, you missed football games and concerts and- dear _gods_ , Jace, you missed the birth of my _daughter_!"

"O-oh, you're a mom now? Congratulations!" Jace smiled nervously as Chandra poked him in the chest as she listed off the things had had missed out on.

"Say you're sorry!" Chandra demanded.

"Wh-"

"Say you're sorry or I'm going to light your hair on fire!" Chandra repeated, adding a probably very real threat.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Jace exclaimed as he put his hands up in front of him to defend himself. "It's hard to keep track of time in the multiverse! Things get out of hand really fast out there, trust me! But... even so, I'm sorry. I've missed out on a lot, I know. But I'm here now, so you can tell me about all of the things I missed."

Chandra looked up at him, her frown still solidly on her face before a small sob broke through her lips. And, with that, Chandra was all tears and crying as she pressed herself against Jace's chest. He went rigid for a second, ready for her to get violent at any second, but as she continued to cry he relaxed and reached around to rub her back.

"You're a jerk!"

"I know."

"You're a big, forgetful asshole!"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"You owe me a lot of stories!" Chandra shouted as she pulled away to look up at him with tear-filled eyes. "You owe me so many stories! And they'd better be good- _usable_!"

"Usable...?" Jace questioned before he laughed and patted her on the head.

"Alright, you got me." He smiled warmly. "Let me start at the beginning... Let me tell you _everything_."


End file.
